Hand of Fate II Crossroads of Destiny
by Twilight Warrior 627
Summary: The destinies of the Scooby Gang has been changed forever. Now, nearing the end of their road trip, Xander and Faith encounter new allies. Much like them, their destinies will be changed forever.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own neither series. I hope the owners don't bug me about it.

Author's note: To all my loyal readers: WELCOME! To the next installment of Hand of Fate! I originally thought about naming this Hand of Fate II: Electric Boogaloo. HA! Just kidding. But seriously, this is the first of four sequels. That's right, four sequels. I hope you all bare with me as I'm back in school, as I'm sure many of you are. But I hope I don't disappoint. Anyway, what will make these sequels special is the fact that they will now be crossovers. So in case you miss it last story, you see some special co-stars in this story.

P.S. to OneHorseShay,

I'm taking a page from your book about how crossovers can work. Considering what I'm doing for this story, and what we've talked about, you can imagine what I'm going to do here and in the future. Anyway, on with the story.

August 30th, 1999

The Beaumark

San Francisco, California

A young man and a young woman, both with dark hair had stepped into the hotel taking in it's fairly lavish atmosphere. They had been on a very long trip and needed some rest. Normally, the two would've been worried about having to stay in such a place. However, this was easily taken care of month ago. The young man approached the counter gaining the receptionist's attention. The lady smiled at the young man, which had caught him off guard, as back home, barely anyone really showed a smile that genuine. There was also the small fact that he had his eye cut months ago.

"Good evening. And welcome to the Beaumark. Checking in?" the receptionist asked smiling.

"Yes ma'am. Last name: Harris," the young man answered smiling back.

"Alright. And how long will you be staying Mr. Harris?" she asked.

"About two weeks," he answered.

"And what type of room would you like, Mr. Harris?" the woman asked. She noticed that the young man's companion was getting a little impatient with the questions. Sh couldn't help but laugh inwardly, as it was her job, and she always enjoyed when couples came to the hotel.

"Just a one bed room, please," Mr. Harris said hesitantly, his face somewhat flushing.

"Very well. Room 515 offers a lovely nighttime and morning view of SanFrancisco," the receptionist responded warmly.

"That will do just fine," the young man said, hoping that was the end of it.

"Here are your room keys. Enjoy your stay," the receptionist said, as the couple walked away.

"Geez, that took too friggin' long. Who asks that many questions? I swear it's like she was trying to pry information out of us," the young woman asked her boyfriend.

"Don't know what to tell you Faith. But seeing how nice this place is, I can see why," he said to his girlfriend.

"I guess you're right Xander. Man, can you believe that we'll be back in the 'Dale in a couple of weeks?" Faith asked Xander.

"Yeah. It's like we're gonna wake up form one big dream. Except we're going right back to a place full of nightmares," Xander said solemnly. Faith moved to her boyfriend to comfort him. Ever since the mayor's destruction, she had noticed that Xander had seemed to have withdrawn into himself a little. It had taken her a week into the road-trip to get Xander to open up. She learned from her boyfriend that he had been feeling remorse about the defeat of the mayor. She could understand why as the man was still a human, even if he had sold his soul to live for as long as he did.

Eventually, Faith had managed to get Xander to move past this as she knew how he felt. She had almost killed Finch herself but was saved. The difference was that one willfully killed and those killed committed horrible acts against humanity. For most of the summer, they had traveled taking in sights of the southwest and even managed to get to the east coast. The rest of the time, they had gone out in search of people who may have needed help. Most of the fighting had been against vampires and low-level demons, so there wasn't much t worry about. It was a month ago that Xander had gotten over what happened with the mayor and the two had returned to some normalcy. But it seemed Sunnydale was a place where normal just didn't exist.

The young couple walked into their room and were in awe at the size and the beauty of the room. They both figured they would take advantage of the amenities while they were in town.

"Well...looks like we'll breaking this room in tonight," Faith said sultrily to Xander. Normally, he would've jumped at the chance. However, he wanted every other chance he could take to further develop his and Faith's relationship. Although, there was one other thing.

"Uh, Faith? I'm not sure I'm up for another night like last time. I thought I wouldn't be able to use my legs for at least a week," Xander joked slightly with Faith. She gave him a pointed stare which turned into a slight smile. She remembered how she 'rocked his world' a few nights before and he couldn't stand being able to think about sex as the chain reaction caused him much discomfort until he had felt back to normal.

"Okay, boytoy. But that ass is mine first sign you're feeling up to it," she said flashing him a wicked grin. Xander merely smiled back and they unpacked for their stay.

Outside of the hotel, a presence had caught on to them earlier and had watched them as they arrived. This 'demon' had always seen to it that the young couple would be aware of what was happening wherever they went as he was the young man's guide. However, he knew their arrival here in this particular city was likely to cause some major feedback with supposed fates of the three most powerful humans that lived here in this city. Whistler was about to leave his spot when he was approached by a beautiful woman with long, brown hair and what looked to be silver robes.

"So what brings you here old friend?" she responded.

"Just keeping an eye on a charge, Ariel," Whistler responded.

"Sure. You're 'keeping an eye on them'. Of course, what only matters to us is what He commands of us. Though I can't imagine why he sent you to the hellmouth when the Powers are over that area," Ariel responded.

"Oh please. You really think those blasted Powers would really help everyone there? They let Angel lose his soul without any warning which is why I was sent to awaken the young man's potential," he responded.

"Why do you suppose they would allow such a thing to transpire?" Ariel asked as she had never really bothered with the Powers before.

"For one simple reason. Power. It's all about power. They think they have it but they're really just a bunch of cowards. In fact, one of my visions has shown me that two of them die by the hands of a demon by the middle of next year. What does that tell you?" Whistler says to his friend.

"A lot actually. Enlighten me. I was watching the discussion that the Summers girl had with her watcher and her friends when your charge and his best friend learned about her role in the war. What was the watcher going on about that origin story of the demons?" Ariel asked looking put off by the memory.

"Ah yes. The world being so old that the Old Ones made it into a hell before it became a wonderful place. It's a lie that the Powers themselves had perpetuated. And chances are the Elders have done the same with their origins. Two groups tasked with helping and protecting those who fight evil yet they only help it along by trying to manipulate everything that humans do. Even worse is the higher being that belongs to the Powers. You saw what she was planning on doing correct?" Whistler asked his compatriot.

"I did. Yet I see she still resides in the realm of the Powers. What thinks they have the right?" Ariel asked looking at the fedora wearing being.

"They're taking it. That was why I was sent to give the kid his power and train him as well. He's come along well. But for what lies ahead, it'll take a miracle for him to stay alive. Considering that the Source ad the First will be planning their next moves soon after the kid changed the fates of so many," Whistler replied.

"You really don't say their names anymore. Are you afraid of them?" Ariel asked, making a slight jibe at him.

"Fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself. At least that's how I heard it said once. Amazing what humans can come up with. Anyway, I don't fear either one of them. But I have a great displeasure in knowing that they try to take from man and Him. But the time will come when they are dealt with. For now, we keep our eyes open. Make sure you send the sisters out of the city first chance. But only after they've met the kid," Whistler ordered.

"What of the whitelighter?" Ariel asked.

"He'll protect them no matter what. Unlike his comrades, he knows the difference between what's right and what's cowardly. I'll see you later Ariel," Whistler said before disappearing in a flash of light.

"Till next time my old friend," Ariel said disappearing in a similar flash of light.

August 31st, 1999

Prescott Street

San Francisco, California

Xander and Faith walked along the street taking in the sights of the beautiful houses that were lined up along the way. They had gone to breakfast and talked about the sights of the city. This was one place they decided to see as they never seen residences so beautiful, up close and in person. As they continued walking, Xander sensed something in one of the houses. As he looked up, he saw a large red house, with white outlining. As he continued to gaze at the house, he noticed that there were two set of powers. One seemed to surround the house, while one other was in the center. He couldn't explain it, but Xander felt that this power was something to behold. He walked up the steps to the front door. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd say to whoever answers but he hoped to learn something useful. The young man rang the doorbell and waited. After about fifteen seconds, an older woman answered the door. She had hair the almost came to her shoulders, fair skin, and, if he was honest, a wonderful figured. Her green eyes showed that she held great strength but also a deep vulnerability that was barely visible. She looked at Xander curiously.

"Hello. Can I help you?" she asked trying to be polite. However, she was on edge.

"Hi. My name is Alexander Harris. But you can call me Xander," he said.

"My name is Prue Halliwell. Now can you tell me what brings you here, Mr. Harris?" Prue responded.

"Please. Just Xander. And...I know this is going to sound strange but...has anything weird happened here recently?" he tried to start off. He wasn't sure what it was but for some reason the four powers seemed to be somewhat at odds and yet she didn't seem to be affected.

"Why would you be asking that?" Prue asked still confused. She could sense something from the young man standing at her doorstep. She couldn't sense any evil from him. Yet, he held something that she hadn't felt since her powers were awakened.

"So that's a yes then?" Xander asked. Before Prue could reply a demon suddenly shimmered behind Xander. Before the demon could move, Xander blasted it with an energy bolt sending it flying off the steps. Faith saw this and immediately went to kill it until she was stopped by Xander, who appeared next to her and dragged her to the house.

"Get inside! Quick!" Prue shouted to the two. Once inside, Prue shut and locked the door behind them. She looked out and saw the demon had vanished. She let out a breath of relief but then looked at the two accusingly.

"Alright, you better start talking because we've been living quietly for months now. Are you two demons?" Prue asked ready to send them flying across the house if necessary.

"Whoa! We're not demons, lady. I don't know what my boyfriend here was thinking. But he must've felt something coming from this place or else he wouldn't have bothered," Faith explained.

"Wait. You felt the nexus. But you don't have any magical power coming from you. But you're practically radiating with some power. Who are you guys?" Prue asked.

"I'm Faith. And now you know Xander. We're not from around here. We arrived last night. We were sort of going cross-country. We stopped off here before we head back home," Faith began.

"Which is where exactly?" Prue asked not liking what the girl's tone was indicating.

"Sunnydale," Xander replied.

"Sunnydale?" Prue asked having heard of the place before. She found it odd that they live there considering the murders that she heard took place.

"Yeah. Seeing as you're strangely familiar with demons, I guess we'll tell you what we know," Xander said. Xander and Faith told Prue everything that happened to them since their own encounters with demons up until they met each other and what happened after. Prue had listened tentatively to their story and she was surprised by what she was learning.

"So these Powers are really just setting up a lot of your friends to either suffer or die or both. But this Whistler guy came to you, gave you power and you've prevented certain destinies from happening. But instead of more people dying, you actually created a more positive outcome," Prue discerned.

"That's about it. So what about you? How do you know about demons?" Xander asked. Before Prue could answer, two other women entered the house. Xander immediately felt two more powers similar to Prue.

"Hey Prue. We're home," said one of the women. One had brown hair that reached her shoulders. Her brown eyes seemed to speak of an instinctual nature to stay on her own ground when she feels necessary. She had skin just as fair as Prue's. The last had hair shorter than Prue's and had brown eyes that shone with excitement and a bit of wildness. She had fair skin as Prue and the other woman. As Xander got a good look at the three women, he noticed a resemblance and came to a conclusion.

"You're all sisters," he said, causing them to stop and look at him.

"Yes you're right. And you're about to learn of our strange connection to demons. This is Piper and Phoebe. We're white witches," Prue pointed at the one with long hair and short hair, respectively. They looked to Prue strangely and then to Xander and Faith.

"They showed up and we all were attacked by a demon. This young man here saved us with an...an...what exactly was that Xander?" Prue asked.

"An energy bolt," Xander responded receiving worried glances from the other two sisters.

"What?" he asked.

"Usually demons are the ones who can do that. But you're human? How's that possible?" Piper asked. Xander took a breath and told his story over for the other two sisters.

"So what about you three?" Xander asked.

"We had our powers activated almost a year ago when Phoebe found the Book of Shadows in our attic. It basically helps us whenever we deal with anything magical or demonic. All the women in our family have been white witches. And our fight against demons started almost a year ago when we were attacked. We've held our own against our enemies and even survived. But we lost some good people along the way," Prue began, thinking about Andy's death.

"I'm sorry to hear. I know how you feel. My best friend was killed by and turned by a vampire," Xander said.

"There's vampires?!" Phoebe asked shocked.

"Yeah. At first they were hell to deal with. But after getting my power, killing them is like tearing through paper," Xander said dryly.

"But what about the person they were before?" Piper asked.

"Thing is, the vampires we've seen aren't like what you've read about. When a vampire feeds and turns a person, the soul is gone away from the body. And a demon takes control of it. It can walk, talk, even like the person who it was before being turned, but inside it's a demon. However, it's possible for a vampire to regain their soul back. But Faith and I have only known it to happen when a vampire is cursed with one," Xander explained.

"What do you mean cursed?" Prue asked confused.

"We have an ally back home. Over two hundred years ago, he was a horrible vampire. But he attacked a gypsy tribe's daughter and killed her. They used a powerful dark magic spell to give him back his soul but it wasn't permanent. If he ever attained a moment of pure happiness, he would lose it and become evil again. He lost it once. I told you about it actually. He got it back but it was too late. You know what happened after," Xander finished.

"This is unbelievable. Here we are just coming into our powers, and yet no one has even bothered to explain this! LEO!" Prue shouted out the name when lights flashed and a good-looking man with dirty-blonde hair and green eyes appeared in the middle of the room.

"Easy Prue! I think you rocked the higher plane with that call," Leo tried to joke only to have Prue shoot an irritated look at him.

"Sorry. What's going on? Who are these two?" Leo asked noticing Faith and Xander's presence.

"These two are from Sunnydale. Home of the hellmouth," Prue stated. Leo looked at them shocked and then focused intently on Xander.

"What are you doing here?" Leo asked.

"My boyfriend just wanted answers. What the hell are you anyway?" Faith asked feeling like she just fell into a dream.

"I'm a whitelighter. And you two shouldn't be here," Leo said.

"So what? Your town, your rules?" Faith asked getting defensive.

"No. I didn't mean it that way. Thing is, the Powers That Be are in charge of you all being safe as the Elders are of keeping white witches safe. You two being here is strange. I need to orb up and see what the Elders are saying about this," Leo said before orbing away. This amazed Xander and Faith.

"I don't understand. Why would us being here be strange if he already knew about us?" Xander asked.

"Who knows. We're still sort of new tot his whole thing," Piper said just as Leo orbed back down, looking confused and distraught.

"Leo what's the matter?" Phoebe asked.

"You're not going to believe it. Xander here seems to have caused what the Elders are referring to as a breach in the lines of destiny," Leo began to explain.

"What does that mean exactly?" Prue asked.

"They wouldn't tell everything. But it seems Xander has done something that's shifted what the Powers set in motion and him coming here seems to have thrown off the destinies of you three and anyone you'll meet from this point on," Leo said shaking his head.

"You're saying our futures are changed?" Piper asked looking at her interest.

"Yes. But that also means those below are changing tactics," Leo said, looking to Xander as if he were trembling.

Lower Realms

The First and the Source looked upon the human realm as Xander and Faith encountered the Charmed Ones. It was an interesting meeting from the looks of things. The Source could only laugh at the Powers and Elders for their own arrogance in the plans they had for every human they believed they controlled. And it was all because of the actions of one human.

"So what does this mean for us?" the First asked.

"My dear child. All this means is that if planned correctly, we can strike him and his allies in one strike. He does not know yet but the ripples he's created in the lines of fate have already affected him and his friends. The encounter with the Charmed Ones has now affected their destinies, despite my misgivings about it. However, this also means that there are others he will touch. Even I don't know he will encounter in the near or far future. But it makes little difference. When the time comes, I will see to it that he falls," the Source said as he vanished back to his own domain.

"Not if I get to him first," the First said smiling wickedly to itself.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Still don't own either.

Author's note: I know a lot of you are probably wondering about how I'm handling the mythology of both shows. All things considered, Charmed has certain supernatural beings listed but are ambiguous about who created them, which isn't bad, but it'd be nice to know. As for the buffyverse, there's just a lot there that needs to be addressed that isn't explained either, as I've mentioned that Whedon seemed to pull plots out of his ass, particularly about Glory's origins and Twilight, and even the fact that Harmony revealing herself as a vampire and suddenly you've got people wanting rights for vampires, not like True Blood where there's vampires who actually prefer not to feed on humans but will kill humans indiscriminately? Meanwhile the world labels ALL slayers bad whereas many of them fight the very vampires who want to kill off the human population? Seriously, he really needed to work on his plots. I've ranted enough.

Also, I want to say that for later sequels, there will a few of THE CRAZIEST CROSSOVERS this site will likely ever have. I've said enough. On with the Story.

Halliwell Manor

San Francisco, California

Xander and Faith sat stunned at the revelation Leo had dropped on everyone. Xander himself wasn't exactly sure what to believe as he was the most shocked. '_What did I do to cause this_?' he thought to himself. He looked around to see the ladies and Leo giving him sympathetic expressions. Faith moved over to him, took his hand and smiled at her boyfriend who had likely saved her from a life of evil and being branded forever.

"Xander, you need to know that you didn't exactly do anything wrong. I don't know what the Elders are in such an uproar about. But it's possible they were hiding something from everyone. You said yourself that your guide warned you that the Powers were not to be trusted. Maybe the Elders are just like them. It looks like maybe we owe you," Leo said smiling to the young man.

"Thanks Leo. But I'm not 100% better on this. With everything I've learned just now, it seems like there's not just a fight against evil but an internal struggle as well. Why would the Powers and Elders possibly do this?" Xander asked no one in particular.

"Normally, I'd expect you to have figured that out by now. But no one is ever expected to come up with all the answers," Whistler said teleporting into the mansion in a flash of light.

"Whistler? What are you doing here? And how did you do that? Are you a whitelighter?" Xander asked his mentor, with new curiosity forming in his mind.

"Heh heh. No kid, I'm not a whitelighter. But I've seen many become whitelighters upon their time of passing. Unfortunately, I've seen many become dark-lighters as well. A lot of potential for good gone to waste. But that's besides the point. The Powers and the Elders want power, not just the power they have individually but also control over their servants and the fates of their servants, like your boy here," Whistler said pointing to Leo. The whitelighter looked at the fedora-wearing creature with shock, not only from the statement made but out of familiarity.

"You! I can't believe you're here! Why are you here?" Leo asked Whistler.

"How do you guys know each other?" Faith asked.

"I was there when he was reborn in the higher plane as a whitelighter. It was quite a thing to witness," Whistler explained.

"Reborn?" Piper asked slightly confused.

"Yes. Leo was actually born a human. When he passed, his soul was inspected and there was a lot of potential there for him. So when he reached the higher plane, he was granted a new life as a whitelighter, charged to protect white witches and those who could be future whitelighters," Whistler began explaining.

"So what about these darklighters? What's the deal with them?" Xander asked. Before anyone could answer, another flash of light had shone in the living room. When the light cleared, Ariel was standing before the group.

"Darklighters are the opposite of whitelighters. Essentially, darklighters were lured by the seduction of evil. And when they pass from their lives as humans, the darkness turns them into darklighters," the higher being explained.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Prue asked not liking the surprise visits they were getting.

"I'm Ariel. Like Whistler, I am a higher being. And no, I'm not working for the Powers or Elders. They're both beneath us anyway. But they're so high-minded about their status and power, that they think they can take over," Ariel explained leaving he entire group shocked.

"That explains why you didn't feel demonic. But why would you call yourself a demon?" Xander asked.

"I've had to infiltrate the Powers and see what exactly they were doing. Granted most of them can be taken care of but there's one that's particularly pissed about the fates of those you've changed. When I said that you had to keep Angel and Cordelia from leaving, it's because that Power was looking to take over humanity with a lie of kindness. And she was going to use Cordelia to accomplish this," Whistler explained. Xander stopped and thought about the implications.

"What exactly would the Powers have in mind to help stop this?" Xander asked knowing the answer would be even worse.

"Well this Power would turn Cordelia into a half-demon, then lure her into the higher plane. Once she was there, the fallen Power would possess her and proceed with her plan. However, the Powers contingency plan would be to send Cordelia back to Earth with no memory which keeps the fallen power dormant. However, if Angel and Cordelia had been in L.A., then he and his crew would only find a way to bring the girl's memory back. Suffice to say, the Powers really don't give a care about what the consequences of their lame plan would be. It would just endanger more people and they would know what Angel would do," Whistler explained, his voice filled with distaste.

"Damn them," Xander said to himself.

"If that's what the Power's are doing, what the hell are the Elders planning?!" Phoebe asked not liking what she heard. Leo himself looked pale knowing that his superiors could be just as bad if not worse.

"Let's just say that the Elders would allow certain events to happen that wind up with Prue dead, only to reincarnate her somewhere else. If only because she has too much free will. Meanwhile, in the future, they would interfere with your own lives to keep you line. Unfortunately, there's also the fact that Phoebe is capable of turning evil. So is your half-sister," Ariel explained. The last statement caught the sisters off guard as they had never heard of a half-sister.

"What are you talking about?" Prue asked.

"You have a half-sister. She's here in the city working as a social worker. You've met her before Prue. Her name is Paige Matthews," Ariel answered the oldest sister. Prue had a look of understanding and surprise at hearing the name. She remembered when she met the young lady in question how she had a strange resemblance to their mother. Now it made sense.

"Listen, I know this is a lot to take in, but you need to find your sister. When you do, make plans to leave the city. No matter how much change causes a positive reaction, our greatest enemies will be making preparations. You all take care," Ariel said before disappearing in a flash of light.

"Take care kid," Whistler said vanishing in a similar light. Te group sat there for five minutes thinking over everything they learned. Prue finally spoke up.

"I guess we should start searching for her. What will you guys do?" Prue asked looking at Xander.

"We planned on staying for a whole two weeks. We can help you any way we can. Besides, with everything we've learned, we're going to need each other's help. Since we all can defend ourselves, we don't have to worry as much if we some of us didn't have powers. But we need to be careful still," Xander answered.

"Who should find Paige?" Piper asked.

"I think Xander and I should be the ones to track her down. She at least knows me. and we might be able to better defend her from any demons that attack now that the underworld probably knows about her," Prue answered.

"Then you guys go on ahead. No use burning daylight here. And be careful," Faith said. With that the group dispersed. Faith took one last look at Xander and Prue and followed the remaining sisters and Leo to the attic.

Streets of San Francisco

California

Xander and Prue managed to find where exactly Paige worked in the city and headed on their way to find her. They had remained silent during most of the trek as they weren't sure how to approach each other, conversationally. Prue finally decided that someone needed to make the first move.

"So...you and Faith. You guys make an interesting pair," Prue said.

"How do you mean?" Xander asked in return.

"I mean you two seem so different but you just seem to bond so well," Prue replied.

"In truth, we're not as different as you might think," Xander retorted.

"You mean in personality or life experience?" Prue asked.

"Both. Granted, Faith had been worse off than me. She was forced to fend for herself most of her life. I had my parents but they really weren't any better. They some heavy alcoholics/ EVen worse was my dad beat me from time-to-time. Faith is really the only one who knows the entire story. My best friend, Willow, knew to an extent but not everything. But Faith and I have usually taken the laugh-it-off approach to life. Usually keeps people from getting too close if we didn't want them to know. But at the end of the day, we just wanted someone to hold us and tell us everything was okay. And we met and bonded and here we are," Xander explained. Prue listened tentatively to hhis story. She understood exactly how he felt. EVen though she lived a different life, being the oldest sister, especially after learning what they were, wasn't a walk in the park. It was made worse when Andy became involved with their occurrences until his passing. That was another reason why she hadn't gotten any closer to men since. The reminder of what she could lose was damn near unbearable. She continued to hide her feelings even now. But meeting the young man accompanying her was changing her outlook.

"I'm sorry you guys had such a rough time. Seems like things are never easy for the good guys, huh?" Prue asked.

"No but the most you can do is fight on. Hm, looks like we're here," Xander said noticing the office building.

The pair walked inside and to the security desk asking for Paige. The attendant directed them to her office. Once they found the door, they saw a woman in her mid-twenties, with pale skin and long dark hair filling out some paperwork on her desk. Prue knocked on the door and was answered when the woman opened it.

"Oh my god. Prue?" the woman asked with surprise.

"Paige. It's good to see you again," Prue answered giving her a hug.

"You too. Who's your friend? He's handsome," Paige said, acknowledging Xander, who blushed from the compliment.

"This is Xander. And don't think about it. He's taken. His girlfriend would gve you a hard time," Prue said half playfully.

"I can see why. Come on in," Paige said ushering them into her office. Everyone sat down with Prue and Xander sitting on the other side of Paige's desk. Paige was finishing a report of a recent case, whens he looked back up at her visitors.

"How have you been Paige?" Prue asked. She didn't want to jump right into the heart of the matter as the news was strange and shocking enough as it was. Paige looked down for a second and let out a sigh.

"It's been interesting. A lot of kids with serious issues fall on my plate. My boss thinks it's because I can relate the most to how they would feel. In a way, I can see why. Some kids rebel and others don't see much choice but to run if they have no one else. One case I just came off of had a young woman who left home without a word. The name I was given is Tara Maclay. I never met her but I met her dad. And he's not exactly Mr. Rogers," Paige began.

"How do you mean?" Xander asked as this explanation sounded familiar to him.

"Well, he came by about a month ago. As I said, Tara had left for some reason unknown to him, so he says. When I talked to him, he talked so much as if he were a parent who loved their child. But there was this look in his eyes that just...he's not only a liar but something in his eyes and his voice said that he couldn't be trusted. AT the moment I can't do anything because I have no clue where Tara would be. But if there's something more going on, I won't let her suffer any more," Paige finished.

"You're a good woman to do that for someone. But it can't be expected she'll just come along quietly. Sometimes people feel so powerless that they feel that they don't deserve it. It's never easy," Xander replied.

"You've had a similar experience huh?" Paige asked. Since she had been a social worker, she could always recognize signs of whether or not a child had been abused and Xander was as clear as day for her.

"Sort of. But I'd rather not talk about it. I've gone far longer not being concerned with them. Besides, there's something else we came here for," Xander started hoping to get this over with.

"Really? And what would that be?" Paige asked in return.

"Paige. There's something you should know. Your parents aren't...they aren't your biological parents," Prue began to say. Paige didn't look so surprised by her visitor's words.

"I know. I figured that somehow, someway they weren't really my parents. But I didn't know for sure until they talked to me a year before their deaths. I just always wondered where I came from. But how exactly would you know?" Paige asked.

"Because I'm your sister. My mother, Patty Halliwell, is your mother. But I don't know who your father is," Prue answered her sister. Paige looked at her sister with wide eyes. As she got a good look at Prue, she noticed a vague resemblance to herself that she could not deny. She remembered feeling a strange connection ever since she met Prue but she couldn't understand why. But now she began to see what it was.

"But how could...how is this possible?" Paige asked. Xander thought that this was normally the time to make one of his jokes to lighten the mood. However, even he had to hold back as this was neither the time nor place. It was something he had learned ever since he had gained his powers and his growing responsibilities had changed him.

"We only found out recently. We could only tell it was you from the power that you have coming off of you. Did anything ever happen that you weren't able to explain?" Prue asked.

"Well...when my parents died in the car accident, I was outside the car. I remember being in the car when it swerved but then I was unconscious and when I woke up I was outside of it. There were no injuries or scars. I was just there," Paige said sadly recalling the tragic incident.

"Well, the reasons why will be even stranger for you. Paige...you're a witch," Prue stated with a fairly straight face.

"A witch?" Paige asked.

"Yes. The women in the Halliwell family are born as white witches, who help people and fight evil," Prue replied.

"Wow. Weird. Wait, how did you guys even know any of this?" Paige asked still feeling confused. She had known that there was something weird about herself since the accident. But this topped anything she could've come up with on her own.

"We just found out from a friend. He is...well. It's best that I just show you. Leo!" Prue called out. A second later, Leo orbed in standing before the three of them.

"Hey Prue. Guess you found her. Hi. My name is Leo. It's nice to meet you," Leo said extending his hand to a shocked Paige.

"Are...are you an angel?" Paige asked.

"Not exactly. I'm what's called a whitelighter. I'm a guardian to white witches and potential whitelighters. Although the angels of destiny and death fit that role better," Leo explained.

"Wait! You mean they really exist and they're not just stories?" Prue asked in shock.

"Well, yeah. But they're just rarely seen. THe only reason I know for sure is because I have to orb to and from the heavens. Plus I actually met the both of them when I became a whitelighter. It was weird but hey," Leo finished.

"Well this day just got even more frustrating. You'd think living on the hellmouth, I'd have seen an angel by now," Xander said sighing.

"Like I said, they're rarely seen. If only because they can't always interfere unless they're charged with directing someone down a certain path," Leo replied. As Xander thought about this, he thought about a certain 'demon' who had helped him since the Angelus crisis. '_I'll just get to that at a later date_' Xander thought to himself.

"Okay. So where do we go from here, Leo?" Prue asked the whitelighter.

"Let's take this all back to the mansion," Leo said. Paige checked the time and noted that she would be able to leave in a few seconds. Everyone followed Paige out of the office to the front desk and then out of the building into the alley next to the building. They all held hands and Leo orbed them back to the mansion.

Halliwell Manor

Phoebe, Piper, and Faith sat in the attic with the two sisters reading the Book of Shadows when Leo orbed in with Prue, Xander and a woman they didn't recognize. They immediately figured that she was their half-sister, Paige.

"Hey. Glad you're back. We've been going through the book and it seems that there's nothing that was supposed to tell of Paige coming into her destiny. It seems Leo wasn't kidding about the whole destiny thing with the Elders," Piper said closing the book.

"What do you mean?" Prue replied.

"While we were going through the book, it did something weird. I mean...weird for even the book. While we were trying to find our family line, it flipped to the page we were looking for. Not only that, it showed this weird white line that was linked to Paige for some reason," Phoebe explained.

"So what do you think this means?" Xander asked.

"If we had to guess, us coming here has caused some serious ripples in the pond," Faith said to her boyfriend.

"Actually, it's possible that it may be more than that. When I orbed up to the higher plane, not only were the Elders there, but so were the Powers. And they weren't happy. It seems that someone had interfered with their plans for everyone. Xander apparently was never meant to have his abilities. And Faith is supposed to be a in a coma right now," Leo explained. Everyone looked shocked at the whitelighters words. As Xander thought about Leo's words, he remembered a conversation he and Whistler had about the supposed demon's identity. Since he learned about the existence of angels thanks to Leo, he was certain that Leo wasn't just an ordinary higher being.

"Looks like whatever plans they had to control us just went up in smoke. But what do you think this means for us?" Faith asked looking at her boyfriend.

"I'm not sure. But we'll have to be on guard now that everything has ch-" Xander never finished as a gust of wind had blown inside the mansion, even though the doors and windows were closed. A grey-skinned demon with white hair and grey, tattered robes had gotten inside. He launched a light ball ball of energy at the group. However, Xander was just as quick and launched an energy bolt. The two attacks collided and created a small explosion. The demon had launched himself at the young ma, only for Xander to throw him off. Xander summoned his sword and charged the demon. As Xander swung is sword, the demon defended himself with his own claws as Xander swung his sword. The demon knocked Xander's sword away and charged again. Xander delivered to hooks with each hand, which the demon ducked from. Xander let out a snap kick, landing a direct hit on the demon's chest, sending him flying in the direction of Faith, the sisters and Leo. Faith immediately had the demon in a full nelson to keep him from escaping while the sisters conjured a spell to bind him. When Faith let go, the demon was unable to move from his spot. Xander retrieved his sword and walked to the demon with his blade raised.

"Who the hell are you?" Xander asked.

"Hm hm hm hm. Wouldn't you like to know? It doesn't matter. My name is Shax. I work for those in the basement below," the demon answered.

"Shax?! What would you be doing here now?" Leo asked knowing fully well the demon before them.

"Leo who is he?" Piper asked.

"Shax is a demonic hitman working for the Source," Leo answered.

"When you say the source...do you mean..." Faith trailed off waiting for the answer.

"Of evil? Yes. But why on earth would he make such a bold move now?" Leo asked.

"Ha! You think he ordered me to come here? No. I'm here under the First's bidding. I grew tired of waiting for the Source to tell me when I could go and kill. When the First saw a chance put a halt into the do-gooders attempts here, she sent me. But it was worth it. Now we know never to underestimate you humans," Shax replied with a sneer.

"Good. Now your masters will understand that we don't mess around," Xander said, plunging his sword into Shax's chest. The demon let out a cry before his body turned why and disintegrated into dust.

"Well, this is great. Not only do the Powers and Elders want us under their thumbs, now we've got demons like him to deal with," Prue said feeling irritated.

"Which makes it all the more important that you four leave this city. As crazy as it sounds, you'd be safer with us and our friends in Sunnydale. We have plenty of spellcasters and experienced fighters in the group. The only real warning is that the energies of the hellmouth might have you feeling weird. but other than that, you should be fine," Xander said to the sisters. Prue gathered her sisters and Leo in the kitchen to discuss matters and properly plan. After about five minutes, they returned tot he living area with smiles.

"Alright Xander. We're going to be in Sunnydale with you guys. It'll take time, but it looks like it's for the best. And if not for you, we'd all likely be dead. We owe you," Phoebe said.

"Hey, it's what we do. Well, me and Faith can leave you to the planning. We're going to go rest. If you need any help, just have Leo orb us in," Xander said as he and Faith headed to the door.

"He's one interesting young man," Prue said, smiling to herself.

"Too bad he's taken, huh Prue?" Phoebe asked, taking a jibe at her sister.

"Still, he seems like a great guy. And it looks like he's got a great woman by his-ngh!" Phoebe said as she clutched her head. The vision she had was one of great pain. It showed an older looking Xander and Faith fighting something evil that was almost as old as the universe itself.

"Phoebe, what's wrong?" Piper said keeping her younger sister steady.

"I had a vision of something horrible. I saw Xander and Faith fighting. But this thing was so horrible, I couldn't even look at it. I tell you, it's a good thing we are leaving. I don't think they could handle it on their own," Phoebe said as Prue and Piper looked at her with worry on their faces. Leo had not thought that things would get any worse. But now the interference of a higher being and one teenage boy was setting the stage for something bigger than even the Elders could possibly handle.

Lower Realms

"So you sought to defy my orders to wait until the time was right, just to satisfy your ego!" the Source bellowed throughout the caverns of his lair. He had seen what the First was planning and was not pleased one bit.

"Please master, that was not my intention! I just thought it was a chance to remove them and weaken the forces of light! I was only looking out for your best intentions!" the First cried out knowing the pain it would receive for the treachery committed.

"Do not lie to me! I gave you your power when you were forsaken! I can just as easily take them away and have you tortured for the rest of eternity if I wanted to! But I won't. Instead, I'll send you away to another one of the portals leading to earth. It is located in the middle of a cemetery in what is now southern Wyoming. Wait there, until you are freed. Then you make sure that I well be freed as well," the Source shouted.

"Yes master! Thank you for sparing me! I am not deserving of your mercy!" the First said.

"GO!" the Source shouted. As the First's presence disappeared, the Source smiled wickedly at hat it was thinking.

"If she only knew..."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own either series.

Author's note: So I imagine many of you are wondering where this story will go for Season 4 of Buffy, Season 1 of Angel, and Season 2 of Charmed. For the most part the canon for Angel and Charmed will be LARGELY ignored but that doesn't mean a lot of it won't happen. You'll just have to read what happens. Also, if anyone is wondering about the actions scenes on the story, honestly, I think that the action scene can be left up to the imagination of the reader, because too much detail for an action scene can make the story drawn out. So for hand-to-hand action, I try to keep it short unless swords, guns, or superpowers are involved. Also, I'm thinking of doing a Xander-centric story of Xander having powers similar to what he has in this story except with a few more additions, starting from season 1. I'm pretty sure you guys know where I'm headed with the mythology in this story seeing as I've given a few explanations already to some readers. If you don't understand by now, well, I'd rather not spoil it. If you don't like it, then deal with it. On with the story.

Sep. 7th, 1999

Los Angeles, California

It was nighttime as Xander and Faith walked through the city about to pass a massive building. From the looks of it, the building was likely a lavish hotel that seems to have been abandoned for about fifty years. The couple continued to pass the building as they weren't in the city for luxury. A week earlier, before leaving San Francisco, Xander had a vision of a few people in the city. Well, two people and a demon. Xander was normally one to jump at the chance of helping anyone, except for the fact that they were in the same city as the Senior Partners, the demons controlling Wolfram & Hart. The young man kept wondering hat exactly they were waiting for if they already had so much influence. He shook his head clearing the thoughts away.

"So what do you suppose we do first?" Faith asked her boyfriend. She noticed the looks he had on his face when she thought he wasn't looking. Something was up and she wanted to know. But she didn't want to push Xander as she knew that he wouldn't leave her out of the loop.

"The first person I saw was a street gang leader living not too far from here. So we should find him first," Xander replied.

"Why do you think Whistler showed you this guy?" Faith asked.

"If I had to guess he's been doing some serious work here. But him and his crew can't last forever considering what we already know about this place," Xander said as they continued walking.

After about twenty more minutes of walking, they came to a seemingly abandoned building painted with graffiti. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as they entered the building. As they came to the bottom level, a boy who looked to be only a year younger than the couple jumped out intending to attack, only to be knocked down by Xander who merely sidestepped and punched the boy hard in his stomach. The boy fell to the ground as Xander and Faith walked in, being greeted by weapons pointed at them.

"Nice welcoming committee. Could use some work though," Faith said sardonically.

"You really think you should be laughing right now? Because it looks like this is a situation you can't avoid," came a voice from behind a few. A tall, bald, black young man stepped into the circle to get a look at the intruders.

"Charles Gunn?" Xander asked. The young man looked back at him in shock.

"How the hell you know that?" Gunn asked heatedly.

"We're here to help you," Faith replied calmly.

"Help? Why would I need your help?" Gunn asked confused about the strangers.

"Because if you guys keep fighting like this, you won't last long. Especially considering there's stronger things out there than vampires," Xander said not taking his eyes off Gunn for a second.

"And what do you know?" Gunn asked lowering his weapon.

"There's demons too. Not just the garden-variety demons with two arms and legs like humans. But stronger demons that could tear this city apart if they ever got out," Xander explained, looking deadly serious to everyone. They all backed off thinking about his words and how wasn't afraid of them.

"Alright. Why don't you start from the beginning," Gunn said.

For the next couple of hours, Xander told Gunn and his gang about his life in Sunnydale and would lead to this point. The story was met with different reactions from everyone in Gunn's group. There was laughter from Xander's own crazy adventures. THere was sadness and empathy for what happened to Jesse. There was confusion about the three slayers. However, there was one big collective gross-out among the group when hearing about Buffy's relationship with Angel. But then Xander explained Whistler, the Charmed Ones and the group grew silent with every passing second.

"So these Powers and Elders just tried to manipulate us to where we die or suffer horribly? So much for God," Randall, Gunn's best friend said when a flash of light permeated the room.

"You might want to be careful who hears you saying that kid. You'd be surprised how many people you make angry," the fedora wearing higher being said with an intense look, shocking Gunn's crew.

"You Whistler? If you are I need to have a word," Randall said until Whistler suddenly appeared in front of the young man.

"Whatever you have to say, you stow it. I've seen everything that went on and the ones to blame are those so-called Powers. But I can assure you that if they even step out of line, they'll face His wrath. But that's besides my point. You guys need to get away from this city or else the Powers will come up with a back-up plan to manipulate you," Whistler said to the group.

"Why does it even matter to you guys what happens to us?" a feminine voice said, coming from a girl bearing a resemblance to girl.

"Because if the Powers had their way, many of you would be dead and some of you would only suffer until death. The Powers are interested only in keeping their own power which means the war against evil that they fight is only for them to keep balance. But balance between good and evil can never be possible. One must always triumph over the other. If you want to help, you travel with these to and their friends to Sunnydale. If not, live the best way you can," Whistler before departing in the same flash of light. Gunn looked to Xander and Faith.

"Is he there-"

"ALL THE TIME," the couple answered exasperatedly, thinking how often they hear that question.

"Well, we need to get going. How about tomorrow we help you take out that vamp nest?" Xander asked the group.

"Sounds good. See you tomorrow," Gunn said, watching as the couple departed.

"Sort of puts things in perspective huh?" Alana, Gunn's sister, asked.

"What do you mean?" Gunn asked in return.

"So much shit was supposed to happen, but here he was. The way he talked about it, sounded like he wasn't supposed to be here. And those Powers and Elders are pissed," Alana replied. Gunn looked back at the door that the couple exited from and thought about his sister's words. Maybe for once, things will look up for them.

Sep. 14th, 1999

En route to Sunnydale

Xander and Faith cruised down the road on the way back home, with Gunn following behind them in his truck, along with the Charmed Ones. The rest of the stay in Los Angeles had been rather busy for all involved. Xander had taken care of the vampire nest easily while Faith had heard about a woman in trouble. They found her in danger of being under a particularly powerful vampires' control. Even worse, for Xander, was that the vampire seemed to be protected by Wolfram & Hart. He realized that the vampire's demise would mean bringing down the Senior Partners' wrath at some point but he figured if they could get rid of them, all the better. The rest of the week was spent helping various people out of situations they stumbled in or caused themselves. Overall, the city of Angels seemed to be a bit more peaceful. However, Xander felt that there was something gnawing at the back of his mind. As for Gunn's crew, most decided to either stay behind and make their own way or leave the city altogether. FOr the most part, Gunn was glad to have his sister.

Sunnydale, California

Dormer Residence

A knock at the door was heard as the female watcher was enjoying a quiet evening at home. She had been enjoying the silence every so often. Though sometimes the silence was just as irritating. She thought about how having Faith in live with her like a daughter made them like a family. But now the girl had truly to be a fine young woman ever since coming to this town. Along with that, they had made great friends, and in Diana's case found a great boyfriend in Sam Zabuto. Ever since the incident with the band candy, the two watchers had hit it off very well. Diana felt that it was only a matter of time. As she answered her door, she was greeted by the sight of a happy looking Faith and Xander.

"Hey D! Ya miss me?" Faith asked hugging her surrogate mother.

"Only a whole lot, my dear! Hello Xander! How are you? How was the trip?" Diana asked the young couple.

"It was pretty awesome. Though not without it's problems. You wouldn't believe what happened," Faith said coming into the living room of the house, followed by Xander.

Once the young woman was settled in, the three sat down. Faith and Xander had told them of their ordeal in San Francisco and what they had learned from Whistler. Needless to say, Diana was shocked and outraged, knowing that everything she was taught to believe was essentially a lie. The young adults could only look at in sympathy understanding that everyone they knew, including themselves were all pawns to the Powers and Elders . Diana could only wonder what her fate would've been in another world. She shuddered at the thought.

"So you actually met the Charmed Ones? Amazing," Diana said with a wide grin. She heard stories of the trio of the most powerful white witches throughout the ages. However, like many of the stories, she never thought the stories would be real.

"Even better you get to meet them and their sister, tomorrow. We're going to surprise everyone tomorrow," Xander said smiling.

"Sounds wonderful. In the meantime, Xander feel free to stay here for the night. You must be exhausted," Diana said to the young man.

"Oh. Thanks, but I don't want to impose-" Xander abruptly stopped at the look on Diana's face, daring him to object further.

"On second thought, I'll stay tonight," Xander said, having retracted his unfinished statement. Faith stifled a laugh at the scene before. She had to admit that it was funny. The most powerful human on the planet, possibly universe, and the deathly glare of a woman leavings her quaking in his shoes. The young man took their luggage to Faith's room with Faith trailing him. They settled in for the night and slept peacefully. That is until the loud sounds of moaning and groaning in the room two doors down woke them and kept them up. Xander had an expression of shock and curiosity, mainly because he was wondering who the hell Diana's lover could be. Faith on the other hand could only laugh at Xander's reaction and that she knew exactly who it could've been.

"Go Diana."

Sep. 15th, 1999

UC Sunnydale

After an...interesting night for the young couple, they decided that they would stop off at the campus to see how the others were doing. Xander felt it would've been a calmer welcome back after Diana's activities the previous night. Xander felt a mixture of relief and weirdness after learning that Diana had been dating Zabuto since he and Faith went on their trip. Sam meanwhile, was fascinated to learn of their summer adventures but slightly embarrassed knowing that the slayer and her boyfriend were not too far from Diana's room. Faith spotted the others, causing Xander to come out of his reverie.

"Hey guys! Welcome home!" Buffy greeted her sister slayer and best friend. The others caught up just as Buffy was greeting the couple. Willow and Oz looked as happy as could be. Jonathan and Amy had similar expressions on her face while Kendra, Cordelia and Buffy looked left out.

"Hope you guys didn't forget about little old me," came a voice that Xander knew only too well.

"Jenny," he said turning to her, smiling. The techno-pagan responded in kind with a sweet smile.

"Hey Xander. Hey Wonder-Woman. It's good to see you both," Jenny said smiling to both of the young adults.

"Good to see you Jen. What brings you here?" Faith asked, luckily without hostility. The dark-haired slayer had grown accustomed to Jenny being their friend and even took to referring to the teacher by a new nickname. However, there was still one piece to the puzzle she couldn't understand. She would file it away for another day.

"I quit working at the high school and got a job teaching here. Besides, since that imp quit, Rupert and I figured 'why not', you know?" Jenny answered.

"Wait, Snyder quit?! Where is he now?" Xander asked.

"Who knows. The troll left town not long after," Kendra said feeling indifferent about the former principal.

"HALLELUJAH! He's finally gone. At least no one else will have to suffer because of him," Xander said in delight.

"You really hated him that much?" Willow asked.

"That imp made high school hell for us more than anyone else ever did. In fact, I'm pretty sure he had an idea as to what exactly we did. Now that I think about it, we wasn't exactly so freaked out when we talked about vampires and when we found out about Lurconis during that band candy incident," Xander said in contemplation.

"Actually, we kind of already grilled him about it. Turns out the mayor had hired him to keep an eye on the demonic activity," Amy started.

"But it looks like multiple slayers and whatever Xander would be threw a major wrench in his plans. Heh. Go team!" Jonathan finished for Amy, making the group laugh.

"Say, where's G-man? I figured maybe he'd be working in the library here at the university," Xander asked.

"Funny story about that," Jenny replied.

Magic Box

Maple Court

The shop was teeming with customers coming in and out of the shop. As the gang entered the shop, they saw Giles along with the shop owner dealing with the various customers purchasing all kinds of items. Giles spotted everyone and went over to greet them.

"Hello all! Welcome back ye weary travelers!" Giles said giving a hug to Xander and Faith.

"G-man! Great to see ya!" Xander said with a knowing look on his face.

"Xander how many- oh bugger it. It's great to see you home. Anything interesting happen?" GIles asked. Xander and Faith let out a sigh knowing that the story would be long and not necessarily well received.

Three hours later...

The excitement at the shop had finally wound down as the customers had left, happy with their purchases, and Diana and Zabuto coming in. After Buffy and Kendra regaled everyone about their first few days on campus, Faith and Xander told their story of the last few weeks of their road-trip. Needless to say, the reaction from the entire was just as expected as the Halliwells and Gunn's crew felt the same.

"So what do you suppose happens now?" Giles asked polishing his glasses as he always does when either annoyed, stressed or receiving bad news.

"If we only knew. I can understand why Whistler wouldn't tell us so much about the future. But at the same time, Everything has already changed. So what's the harm, ya know?" Faith said.

"Faith has a point. If these two groups were controlling us and considering what we think may have changed, then it seems everything is thrown out of lone. Mankind has always had free-will. So for them to take it from us must have given someone or something reason to change it," Zabuto explained thinking.

At that moment, someone entered the shop. It was a young woman the same age as the young adults of the group. She had dirty blonde hair and was very well figured. However, the look in her eyes spoke of someone who had been in pain and had withdrawn into themselves. As she stepped further into the shop, the group took notice and stopped talking. The newcomer instantly put her head down as she was not used to so many people looking at her.

"Hello. How can I help you?" Giles asked feeling something was different about the young woman.

"H-h-hello. I'm picking up a s-s-set of runic tablets. I had them pre-ordered," she said looking so nervous to everyone.

"Ah yes. Is your name Tara Maclay by any chance?" Giles asked. Xander snapped his head to Giles making sure he heard the name correctly.

"Yes sir. That's me," the girl, now known as Tara responded. Xander moved from the table to Tara. The girl looked nervously at Xander as she had never had much contact with men outside of her father and brother. She did everything she could to look anywhere but in Xander's eyes.

"It's alright. I just want to talk. You're really Tara Maclay?" Xander asked.

"Yes. I am. How do you know me?" Tara said feeling she might need to do something just in case.

"My name is Xander Harris. I met a social worker who was local worker who was looking for you. Apparently your father contacted her, but she doesn't seem to trust him," Xander explained.

"With good reason," Tara responded.

"What did he do to you?" Xander asked. Tara looked up trying not to let tears flow from here eyes.

"He and my brother...th-they...they would beat me if I didn't do what they asked. Since my mother passed, I was looked at as their next servant. I-I've been so scared because of what they said I could become. They said my mother had a-a demon in her. THat it's where she got the magic from. I-" she stopped as Xander looked at her confused.

"Magic comes from demons? Where'd they get that from?" Xander asked her.

"I...I don't know. I never asked," the blonde witch responded.

"Um...Ms. Maclay, you should understand that magic does not come from demons. Humans have practiced magic since...well, we first learned in the days of the primordial age. While there is black magic, it doesn't come from demons. Seems your father has lied to you all these years," Giles explained.

"W-why would he do that?" Tara asked with the tears finally falling. Before Giles could answer, a door in the back of the shop opened revealing Drusilla smiling happily to everyone. THis was soon followed by someone covered in a blanket rushing in. As the blanket was thrown off, it revealed Spike underneath.

"Hello all. Today seems quite lovely, wouldn't you agree?" Dru asked looking at everyone. Her eyes stopped on Xander, taking in his appearance.

"Oh my! Lion's gotten even stronger!" Dru said while purring her statement. Everyone looked at Drusilla then turned to Xander, as they still couldn't believe their ears. Ever since Xander and Faith went on their trip, Drusilla had been helping them with keeping the town safe. It weirded everyone out as this was one-fourth of the former group known as the Whirlwind. Along with that, was the fact that the vampiress mentioned having dreams about Xander. Some portrayed him as the white knight that some of them had seen him as. Others they just couldn't bear to hear, as Drusilla would go into great detail about what she dreamed Xander would do to her.

"Um...hi?" Xander cautiously greeted.

"Oh great. It's droopy-boy. This week just keeps getting better," Spike added sullenly.

"The hell is your problem Billy Idol?" Faith asked, irritated at the vampire's jibe at her boyfriend.

"I've been having a hell of a week. Two nights ago, I've going about my own business buying food-" he stopped as Xander spoke up.

"Food? You're a vampire," Xander said looking confused.

"Well, we can eat human food, but blood gives us the strength we really need. That's besides the point. Anyway, as I'm walking back to my crypt, These weird commandos jump out of nowhere and attack. I kicked their asses but they are persistent," Spike finished explaining.

"You saw them too?" Kendra asked to vampire.

"TOO?! You couldn't have warned me about these guys?" Spike asked getting angry.

"Spike, no one's seen you since graduation and we don't exactly trust you. You really expect us to just help you out?" Buffy said exasperatedly.

"To be fair, I haven't exactly been in the business of killing anyone since the fight against Wilkins. I just prefer to go my own way. Besides, Dru is every bit as vampire as I am. Why am I getting the third degree?" Spike asked, almost whining.

"Because, WILLIAM, I've been here keeping an eye on my lion's home while you went away doing who-knows-what. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself," Drusilla answered, heatedly. Whatever, happened between the two former lovers must've been ugly if the sire treated their childe in this manner. Spike could only avert his gaze as he realized he would not win this argument.

"Um...on that note, Tara I can tell you that you're not a demon," Xander said after that lengthy distraction of the conversation.

"How do you know..."Tara began until she stopped and took a good look at Xander.

"My goddess! You're a psion," Tara said

"I'm a what?" Xander asked.

"A psion. You have a lot of power but it's not magical power. How is this possible?" Tara asked more to herself.

"I can answer that," came a feminine voice followed by a flash of light in the shop.

"Good to see you again Xander. You too Faith," the higher being said, acknowledging the young adults.

"Ariel? WHat are you doing here?" Xander asked.

"Just here to fill in the blanks. When Tara called you a psionic, she meant that you're capable of manipulating energy with your mind. It's what you would call psychokinesis. It branches out into all kinds of energy control. Magic is also one of them," Ariel explained.

"You're saying everyone who's ever used a spell has used psionics?" Zabuto asked the higher being.

"In a way. When dealing with magic, the user has to remember that their bodies are being primed to not only call on the energy they're using but they're also channelling powerful energies through them. When mishandled, it can lead to their souls being corrupted. That's part of why magic was outlawed among humans during the earliest centuries of existence. But overall, everyone who has interacted with magics has had experience in psionics. As for you Xander, Whistler awakened you with power to not only see more but to also being to help fight back. I've seen what you've done in other worlds without power. One in particular has you doing everything you can but no one ever really acknowledges. In fact, you were nearly forced out of the group simply because you were a regular human," Ariel explained. The last statement left Xander confused as to why they would force him out when before they gained power, Buffy was the only person with power.

"That's part of why Whistler awakened your power. Things in that world are just as wrong as it has been here. However, in that world, that Buffy seems to come out on top only because she has her friends but she takes them for granted. Not to mention there's a lot that goes wrong with everyone following her. But in this world, we've changed it. We had to step in so that something better could take place here. That world has been headed towards a path of doom. But with this, we might be able to make a change," Ariel finished explaining, leaving the group silent about what they learned.

"Before I go, I think some of you would be interested in meeting the Charmed Ones. They're really lovely and wonderful ladies. Till next time my young friends," Ariel said leaving in the same flash of light.

"What did she mean about magic being outlawed? And the primordial age?" Willow asked suddenly. The three watchers looked at her then at each other.

"We're not sure. The council has never had any record of there being an outlaw of magic. As for the primordial era, the Old Ones were ruling the planet before the time of the slayer," Giles answered before a familiar voice chimed in.

"Are you people really this challenged or are you so small-minded and reliant on two groups who lie and deceive you that you can't even tell the truth for yourself?" Whistler yelled as he suddenly entered the shop.

"Excuse me, but what exactly are you talking about?" Diana asked confused about what their visitor was saying.

"I'm saying that with everything you've learned, do you really want to rely on anything the Powers or the Watchers Council has to say? Not to mention that crappy origin story you fed these kids when they met you?" Whistler started.

"Regarding the Powers and the Old Ones? WHy would I have lied about that to them?" Giles retorted.

"That's just it. It's not that you lied to them. It's that you've been lied to since the very the Council. And before them, by the Powers. It's true that the Old Ones did command legions of humans. But they never ruled this planet because there's always been one force of good that has watched the planet since He first created it. But just like many stories, His had been told and re-told but had nearly faded into obscurity. It's usually the fact that humans in power try to make themselves greater than they are. But more to the point, the Powers are not the good guys here. Why do you think I had Xander keep Angel and Cordelia from leaving?" Whistler said to them.

"I'm guessing when you say he, you're talking about..." Xander trailed off.

"Yes. I'm referring to the Almighty, himself," Whistler answered. Everyone's eyes grew wide with disbelief at this revelation. For Xander, it was someone willfully acknowledging his/her existence. For Willow, it as a bit frightening knowing her practice in magic yet the higher being has not said anything in a slight towards her. For Faith, she finally learned that there was something out there who clearly cared. For everyone else, they just had their world shattered.

"Wait a sec, I thought God and the whole witchcraft deal didn't mesh. Why hasn't an angel come to kill us or anything?" Amy asked.

"As I'm sure Ariel mentioned, the use of your powers is what determines whether or not you should be...erm punished. Use them wisely and you have nothing to worry about. ANd be careful while you stay in this town. The Source will have others gunning for you," Whistler said before vanishing. Everyone at the shop fell silent with everything that fell upon them. Before anyone could o anything, Jonathan stood up to leave.

"If you guys don't mind, I'm going to go home and...pray," he said opening the door, only to hooded, men in robes standing there. What had him scared were there eyes, which were in their sockets but looked burned out and appeared to be sewn shut in the shape of demonic runes. As one took out a knife and swung, Jonathan blocked the swing and kicked the one in the middle in the chest before running back in the store.

"WE GOT COMPANY!" the young warlock shouted signaling the others. Everyone jumped to their feet, with the fighters grabbing weapons, the spell-casters chanting, and Xander charging energy throughout his body. Everyone leapt into a fray against the demonic monks. There was only a group of about twelve which gave the group a decent chance.

Minutes later, the shop was in horrible shape, as all but one of the monks laid dead on the floor. The last monk was tied up in the back room, where the gang interrogated him.

"Who are you and why did you attack?" Giles asked holding the monk's knife against it's throat.

"We are bringers. Harbingers of the First Evil. Or rather we were before the First committed treachery against the Source. Now we serve another, to exterminate the forces of light so that the darkness shall overtake the planet," the monk answered, telepathically controlling Jonathan. The group looked at him then back at the monk.

"So that's it? You were just going to wipe us out?" Xander asked.

"That is the ultimate goal. And we will succeed. The Powers believe in a balance of good and evil. But no such balance ever exists. One must always outweigh the other," the bringer said before Giles sliced it's neck open. Everyone looked at each other wearily knowing that things just got even stranger.

Lower Realms

The Source observed as the First's former servants fell to the Scoobies so easily. He knew that that would be the case as a group that worked as well as they did and had their advantage of numbers against the bringers would succeed. Hearing what Whistler and Ariel said to the group caused him to smirk. He could see fear growing on the faces of the group. His musing was slightly interrupted as he heard steps approaching him. A tall being with pale skin, long white hair and huge, black feathered wings approached the Source with a smile.

"So, what goes on...old friend?" the visitor asked with a smugness in his voice.

"How long has it been since you were driven from the material world, Nocalla?" the Source asked.

"Well, once your were sealed here I was one of the only ones to make a last stand. Even fed off and human and gave him my essence. Seems the others had the same idea before I was banished to this damned dimension. How else would these sorry half-breeds spread themselves across the world?" the being Nocalla said.

"All because of those damned Powers and Elders. But they'll get their's in the end. It's only a matter of time," the Source responded.

"Perhaps. So, what exactly do you with me to do now that you've weakened and sent our trump card to another part of the world?" Nocalla asked.

"Simple. No matter what those so-called White Hats do. I will be set free from this prison. They'll be so busy with everything else, they won't even know what hit them. Still, I wonder how Michael feels about these people actually doing something about the demon issue?" the Source wondered out loud.

"Does it matter? He holds humans in the same regard as you do. He's just another blind follower, or fanatic, depending on how you look at it. After all, to him, those brothers are just a means to an end. I doubt that's what He had in mind," Nocalla said laughing slightly.

"I suppose so. But it doesn't matter. Now, from this point on, you're to take her place and fulfill her original plans in a few years," the Source responded.

"You're not worried about these humans stopping me?" Nocalla retorted.

"Oh please. They're humans. Now go and make preparations," the Source commanded. Nocalla turned to walk away but had a sneer on his face as his back turned to his master.

"I pray to our Father I'm not around to see your arrogance be your downfall."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Don't own, never will.

Author's note: It's certainly been a while since the last update but life can be hectic at times. I want everyone reading to be aware that most mythology in the respective shows will be thrown out of the window. The Powers still exist, as do the Elders. However, the Olympians won't really play a role, because I honestly on't see much reason for them to be in it. Another thing is that I've going to jump to certain points of the show in this season. Also, I decided that with the changes for season 6, I won't really use it much except for maybe one element. Also, I'm going to dumb down certain elements that Charmed and Buffy have much such a big deal out of but were really just something that wasn't as big as everyone was told. On with the story.

Magic Box

Sunnydale, California

After a few of hours of clean-up, thanks to the large group present, the shop was back in order and most of the group had been sitting around wondering about what the last bringer said. The biggest concern was wondering what exactly the group had brought down upon themselves and on any others. Xander's mind kept whirling back around to the possibility that there was always more to this than any of them believed. In truth, he believed that with Whistler's interference, they had all become involved with something that was bigger than all of them.

"So where do we go from here?" Faith asked, finally breaking the silence.

"I wish I knew dear. Everything we've learned has only shown us just how small-minded many of us are. The council is led by a bunch of sniveling prats who want to control everything. And worse than them, the Power and Elders keep us from being allies while the entire nether-realm rallies against us. How could we believe that one person alone could save the world from multiple threats knowing that one would eventually fall?" Diana replied heatedly.

"Believe me Diana, I had the same sentiments since the crisis with Angelus," Zabuto said, placing his right hand on Diana's, gaining a smile from her. This did not go unnoticed by the others.

"Seems like everything just keeps getting worse," Xander said absently.

"It only seems that way because evil will always try to out-do the forces of good. It's not your fault, son," Giles said in an understanding manner.

"Hold on. Something about what Ariel said earlier struck me as odd," Kendra said gaining the others' attention.

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked in return.

"She said that in another world, Xander doesn't have his power and that he did a lot but it wasn't noticed. She seemed to be implying something about that alternate world. Almost as if things are worse there than they are here," Kendra explained.

"I can understand why she would say that. In the visions I had when I went against Kakistos, I saw myself betraying you guys and and fighting with the mayor. In fact, I briefly saw Kendra, but she was nowhere to be seen afterwards. And I didn't see Jenny either," Faith surmised.

"But if your vision played out that way, then perhaps something happened to them," Jonathan implied.

"Like them dying. Come to think of it, everything started changing the moment Whistler first showed himself to me," Xander contemplated.

"When did he show up?" Buffy asked slightly confused. She noticed Xander gain a look of bashfulness and regret on his face.

"After the love spell incident," Xander replied looking down. Willow and Oz immediately burst into laughter, recalling the incident and how much things could've changed. This was followed by the others who were involved, as well as FAith who was told about the incident. The only ones not laughing were Zabuto, Kendra, and Jonathan since they weren't seen during the incident.

"Well, now that we got that out of out systems, what exactly did Whistler tell you?" Jenny asked her one-time lover.

"That the fight would be hard and that I would have to prevent some people from dying and bring others into the group. Your's was actually the first life I had saved, Jenny," Xander revealed to the technopagan. Jenny was surprised but then remembered how much he had risked to save her. He could've just as easily told before but he mentioned how she wouldn't have fought Angelus because of her relationship with Angel.

"And that's when it all changed," Cordelia said, speaking after so long, causing everyone to look in her direction. While Cordelia showed a normally confident persona, this was one of the few times, the group had ever seen her looking vulnerable. In her mind, the young woman recalled how much Xander was a lot stronger than he let on but still so vulnerable.

"Yeah. After I saved Jenny from Angelus, so much just changed. In fact, if I didn't have this power, I may have been worse for wear after that crisis. And it's possible, Kendra would've died," Xander said. Zabuto and his charge snapped their heads in his direction implying what would've been the Jamaican slayer's fate.

"Then came Faith's arrival and you all know about that. And that was followed by our return home, and meeting the Halliwell sisters and then Gunn. It all felt so surreal," Xander finished.

"I imagine it would. By the way, we should hurry and meet these Charmed Ones. It'll be twilight soon," Jenny said as everyone began to make their way out of the shop.

Crawford Street

Sunnydale

As everyone arrived, they took notice of the size of the mansion. As Xander, came to the door, he noticed that the residence was ironically located the mansion that Angelus used for his base, and later becoming Angel's home. His mind immediately drifted back

to all of the memories associated with the mansion, which involved his battle with Angelus and discovering Gwendolyn Post was a fraud. Before he could knock on the door, he felt tree demonic auras, one of which bearing a soul.

"Hey Angel. Dru. Billy Idol," Xander said greeting the three vampires. Angel had a smirk while Drusilla had a bright smile seeing Xander. Spike, however, had a frown on his face at joke.

"Hey Xander. Faith. Good to see you guys back. What brings you guys here?" the souled vampire asked.

"We're meeting the Charmed Ones," Faith answered like it was no big deal. The vampires immediately gaped having known the stories of the Charmed Ones but never actually met them.

"Should be interesting," Spike said.

Xander rang the doorbell and was greeted seconds later by Prue's smile.

"Hey Xander. Wow. And friends. Come on in," Prue said ushering in everyone except the vampires of the group.

"Hold on. What's the deal with you three?" Prue asked closely examining the former Scourge of Europe.

"Uh...they're vampires. Angel has his soul and Drusilla is fighting for us now. Spike...is just a dumbass," Xander answered. The blonde vampire rolled his eyes at the slight. Prue thought this over and decided to let them in, knowing Xander would be the quickest in taking them out.

Everyone gawked at the size of the mansion when the rest of the sisters entered the living room. Introductions were made and stories were exchanged about what brought them all to this point. While many of the stories were easy to accept, some were dreadful. This was true for the trio of vampires. The group had only heard stories about their time as vampires. However, hearing about their humans lives prior to their turnings was almost unbelievable. In Buffy's case, this shed a brand new light on her ex-boyfriend. She recalled after the halloween two years ago how they sat in her room and she talked about the costume she chose. He had told her that he hated the girls that Buffy dressed as. Needless to say, the rest of the group saw that he was a rather lively fellow in his life. Despite this, everyone was enjoying each other's company and even Spike had become tolerable for everyone after understanding them. For the sisters it was somewhat odd being in the presence of vampires but now they knew there wasn't much to worry about.

Before the group dispersed for the night, there was discussion about the Source, the First and the threat that these forces posed. However, everyone felt the day catching up with them and decided that they would form plans when the time came. The group split up and left the mansion, each returning to their respective homes.

October 19th, 1999

The Bronze

The group of young adults that made up most of the Scooby gang sat and listened to Dingoes Ate My Baby perform in the club as they do from time to time. EVeryone sat around chatting about the day-to-day events as normal, except for one person.

"Babe, what's with the newspaper?" Faith asked her boyfriend.

"Gotta look for a job so I have something to do during the day," Xander replied.

"Come on sweetie, it's a night of fun. Worry about it tomorrow," Faith said taking the newspaper away and giving him a sultry look. She knew how much Xander couldn't resist the look. Granted, she would never use sex against him but she was seeing that Xander had become more serious than she thought possible for him.

"Alright alright. I'll finish my search tomorrow. May I have this dance milady?" Xander asked with a mock bow making Faith laughs at the antics that initially caused part of her attraction. The other young adults watched as what was once the most unlikely couple pranced onto the floor, with Xander having gotten better at looking cool while dancing and Faith being her usual self.

As the couple danced to their hearts' content, they noticed someone who bore a strange resemblance to Xander walk up by Buffy. The stranger began chatting the others and immediately noticed that Buffy was charmed by the guy. However, both Faith and Xander could tell that his initial persona was a complete farce. As the stranger left, the couple and Oz went back to the table to see what the big deal was.

"Who was the wannabe-stud?" Faith asked.

"His name is Parker Abrams. And wannabe-stud?" Buffy asked confused about the judgment.

"B, I've known guys like him before. He turns on his charm and tries to impress you when really, he's just looking to score a slam dunk in your pants," Faith said nonchalantly. Buffy looked at her sister slayer with slightly wide eyes.

"Point is, don't let this guy sweet-talk you or you wind up feeling dirtier than a load of laundry," Xander finished, gaining odd looks from the group. The evening continued on in a light-hearted manner as the young adults continued to have fun. The next few weeks would prove chaotic for the group.

Nov. 9th, 1999

The Bronze

Much of the group, including Paige, Phoebe, Gunn, and Alana sat in the bronze after the chaos over the number of weeks. The usual slayings had occurred as well as the odd happenings experienced on the hellmouth every so often. For one thing, one of the frat houses on campus experienced a situation involving transmogrification, turning the house into a literal house of horrors bring everyone's fears to life. For Xander, his worst nightmare was becoming a power hungry, war monger killing anyone who would stop him from becoming stronger. For Faith, she still held the nightmare that she would become as she saw in her visions from her fight with Kakistos. These fears gave the others perspective.

Couple with this was noticeable attraction that was shared between Oz and the lead sing of another band named Veruca. Xander immediately sensed that she wasn't normal. Whatever seemed to pull her and Oz together wasn't as simple as human attraction.

"What's up with Wolfie and the midget on stage?" Faith whispered to Xander.

"I'll be damned. She's a werewolf," Xander replied, shocking Faith.

"This takes animal magnetism to a new level," Faith joked. Xander looked at her strangely then shook the thought away.

After about an hour and a half, Xander and Faith headed back to her apartment. With the night winding down, the two just wanted to relax before going to sleep. Xander thought back to his sentiment about how trouble on the hellmouth would always find them. It still troubled him how true it was, especially now that everyone was away from the high school. He looked at Faith who returned the look with a curious expression.

"So how did you know that chick was a werewolf?" she asked her boyfriend.

"Well, I think my power has tuned up my senses, even adding a sixth. It was one thing when I would get those visions. But now I can just tell. By the way, there's been something I've noticed," Xander said thoughtfully.

"What's that babe?" Faith asked, noting the serious look on his face.

"Have you ever wondered where exactly the slayer power comes from?" Xander asked her. Faith faced forward thinking about the question. Truth be told, she never understood how or why she got the powers of a slayer, much less where her powers came from. She just figured that someone looking down on the planet must've been watching out for her for reasons she couldn't fathom. However, since meeting Whistler, she realized there was some truth but there also a bit of downside as the Powers That Be were anything but what they claimed.

"No. Not really. I never really questioned it. I just rolled with it. Why do you ask?" she replied wondering where he was going with this.

"Well, since I found out about Buffy's 'destiny', I always figured that were powers came from some supernatural source. But I was always wondering what exactly that source was. But lately I've noticed something about the power. It's the same kind that I feel when I'm around you, Buffy, or Kendra. But...the power I keep feeling from you guys is...dark," Xander finished explaining. Faith immediately stopped and stared at Xander as if he had lost his mind.

"What are you saying?! That you think I'm gonna go all Dark Phoenix on your ass?!" Faith said.

"No Faith! Not at all! I know you and I know you'd never hurt me or anyone else. ANd as long as I live, I would never let anything take you away from me," Xander replied sternly before Faith could say anything else. She could see the sincerity and determination in his eyes, and knew for sure he was telling the truth. She looked down for a second, trying to calm down.

"I...I'm sorry. I guess I never really shook off those visions," Faith said timidly, something even Xander rarely heard.

"You will. I promise. Nice comic book reference by the way," Xander said hoping to lighten the mood. He was rewarded with Faith smiling at him.

"You dork," she replied laughing.

"And you love me anyway. Now what Im saying is that you, Kendra and Buffy have been fighting the good fight . But the power I sense has a dark nature to it. Actually, it's pretty damn strange," Xander explained.

"So what do you think this means?" Faith replied.

"I'm not sure. Maybe we could ask Giles tomorrow," Xander stated.

Lehane/Harris apartment

As the couple entered the residence, Xander stopped, and immediately noticed that there was something supernatural. However, this one was different than the any other entity he had encountered. It was as strong as a regular demon but it wasn't entirely demonic.

"Bout time you two got here. Was wondering how much longer I'd have to wait," a short man with an Irish accent said to them.

"Who the hell are you and why aren't we wasting you right now?" Xander said heatedly.

"Well, the name's Doyle. As I'm sure you no doubt guessed, I am half-demon and half-human," Doyle said, suddenly sneezing as his skin changed to a lime-green color ad having black spikes on his face.

"So why aren't we kicking your ass right now?" Faith asked.

"Well, I was told by these so-called Powers That Be that you two were apparently a threat to the divine plan that they've set in motion. But then five minutes after, this other guy shows up and I can tell he's packing some serious power. He said that these Powers were not to be trusted because they're seeking to control humanity rather than help them battle the darkness. I wasn't sure what to think at first until he told me that these guys employ demons to help them. Granted not all the demons are evil, as the pretty boy they showed me...um Angie? No, Angelo?" Doyle began thinking out loud.

"Angel?" Xander said annoyed.

"Yeah, that's him. Apparently this guy was a souled vampire who lost his soul after bedding a slayer. Only to get it back and be sent to Hell by you kid. And as much as I like to think these guys have good intentions, Whistler showed me and it was pretty clear what would've happened if we had followed our own paths without his interference. And trust me when I say you'd have at least been alright. But your friends...well, they would suffer and you as a regular human in that world could only do so much, but ti wouldn't be enough. But looking at you now, you got some real chops," Doyle said.

"Alright, Doyle. That's enough gushing for one night," cam Whistler's voice, followed by him entering the apartment in a flash of light.

"Sorry. I just feel better knowing that someone of his strength is helping us," Doyle replied.

"So what exactly is the deal here guys?" Xander asked.

"Doyle here is another one of the people whose supposed fate would've been because of that Power I mentioned before. I just thought I'd direct him here where his talents would be of help, just as you did Xander," the higher being responded.

"Add another one to the list," Faith said somewhat happily. Although she wasn't entirely sure what to make of everything they're learning, it helped knowing that something was being done to help people not just by humans but by someone who actually cares.

"Got that right. Anyway, Doyle should fit right in with the rest of the group. By the way, Make sure Osbourne and Veruca don't fight. It's only going to get ugly for him. And if you're curious about your powers Faith, ask the three watchers and see what they say," Whistler said before vanishing in the same flash of light.

"What in the hell is he?" Doyle asked.

"I have an idea. But I can say he's definitely not from hell," Xander replied.

Nov. 11th, 1999

UC Sunnydale

Science Lab

The last few day apparently didn't go so well for the male werewolf. Earlier in the day, he ran into Faith and Xander, telling them about the predicament only confirming Xander's observation of Veruca. However, Oz had informed them Veruca seemed sort of off as she wasn't so torn about the fact that they woke up outdoors, naked the day before. Even worse was that earlier in the day, Willow had found them together in the same condition as the first time they woke up. Oz looked heatedly at Veruca as she held a dark yet seductive smile on her face. Willow could only stare on feeling helpless.

"Go ahead and cry but you should have seen this coming. You can't tame a wild thing. He's not yours anymore. He's in you, he'd be thinking about me no. Not thinking. It's deeper than that. Why don't you just try to relax now? In a minute or two it'll all be over," Veruca said as her eyes began to change. However, the door was kicked in with Oz entering, followed by Faith and Xander.

"Leave her alone," Oz in a deadly serious manner.

"Are you going to stop me? But then again, I do like it rough. You should remember," Veruca said, smiling darkly at Oz.

"Oz. Don't transform. She's trying to bait you," Xander whispered to Oz.

"I don't know how. I've never been able to control," the bass player replied.

"You've never attempted to. Maybe there's a way to control it. Maybe...think of something that makes you happy. Like Willow," Faith whispered hoping her suggestion got through.

Luckily, it did as Oz sudden;y grew very calm. Unknown to everyone else, his mind focused on all of the good that he had experienced from being with Willow. However, he also thought back to the times where she was in danger and he couldn't be there to help as he was sure the beast would always get the better of him. But now, he had a different vision in mind. He saw himself but slightly different. He stood in front of Willow as if shielding her. His nails had grown into claws and his eyes turned black. EVen his teeth were sharpened to a point. He opened his eyes and everyone took notice that he had changed slightly but he didn't exhibit an aggressive aura. Veruca, however, fully transformed and her wild aggression was clear.

The two werewolves launched themselves at each other, clawing each other's skin. However, looking at the fight, it was clear that Oz was winning as he more focused and taking advantage of Veruca's blind rage. However, Veruca managed to knock Oz away, who only slid back and came to a skidding halt on his feet. Before the redheaded bass player could retaliate, Xander grabbed his should and stepped in front of him. Veruca's eyes locked onto her new target and she went wild as she launched herself at Xander. However, he immediately counterattacked with an energy bolt that sent her flying to a wall and left her unconscious yet still in her werewolf form.

"Is...is she...you know?" Willow asked timidly.

"No. Just knocked out. She'll be fine," Xander answered, walking over to the werewolf and picking up her body.

"Let's get her out of here and somewhere she won't cause trouble," Xander said walking out of the lab, with the others following.

Sunnydale Woods

Next morning

Inside one of the caves, Veruca laid chained to the cave walls having come out of her werewolf transformation. Oz, Xander, and Faith knelt down to her to look her in the eye. Veruca was angry that she was in the same captivity she believed Oz to be in. She looked at her captors in anger.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" the female werewolf shouted.

"We can't do that. Not until you fully understand," Xander responded calmly.

"Understand what?!" Veruca replied heatedly. Oz moved closer to her.

"You need to know why I did this to myself every night I would change. The others never made me do this. I chose to do this," Oz started. Veruca looked into his eyes seeing his sincerity. This confused her greatly.

"Why? Why would you do that to yourself?" she asked her interest.

"So that I wouldn't hurt anyone. So I wouldn't hurt Willow," he answered. He paused shortly before he continued.

"About two years ago, I was bitten by my cousin Jordy. For three days, I kept waking up outside in the woods. When I found out, one of our classmates had died. Contrary to what everyone thinks, I am actually capable of freaking out. I almost did in front of my friends, while they were trying to find out what really happened. Later that night, I was going to keep myself locked up until the morning but...Willow showed up. I wanted to tell her so badly so that she could stay away and not get hurt. But it was too late and I changed. Buffy and our friend Giles managed to subdue me long enough to get me somewhere safe from a werewolf hunter. If not for them, I'd probably be dead. This time I could control it. But only because I had a friend to remind of why I could do so," Oz finished explaining.

"But I-" Veruca was cut off before she could finish.

"You weren't controlling it Veruca. You only gave in to the beast inside. Believe it or not, a lot of our friends including us have powers or abilities. For some of us, we nearly gave in to the impulses that come with the powers. And it's something I'm fighting still," Xander finished explaining. Veruca grew silent.

"Look. If you want help in learning to control this thing, then stick with us," Xander said breaking Veruca's chains.

"You know Red won't let this fly," Faith said helping her boyfriend.

"Once we explain what we're doing, she'll understand," Xander said.

Magic Box

"YOU WHAT?!" Willow shouted gaining everyone's attention.

"Told ya," Faith said. Xander looked at her as if to say 'shut up'. Faith just smiled smugly.

"Will. I understand what you've gone through but acting rashly wouldn't have been good. Besides, she needs to learn control just like we're all doing," Xander explained.

"Xan..." Willow began.

"Red, let's just trust that he knows what he's talking about and leave it that. Besides, he can take care of it if things get crazy," Faith said. Willow looked down for a second before she smiled at Faith in knowing her best friend.

Over at the round table, Tara sat and talked with the Halliwell sisters about magic and her training that will commence. Tara had become part of the group after everyone got to know her over the last month. The sisters had even offered her a home at their residence on Crawford Street. Gunn himself had even become part of the group and had proven to be a big help. However, he almost came to blows with Angel, Drusilla, and Spike when he learned that they were vampires. Luckily, Xander assured the young man that two of the three would be taken care of should things go south. Everything was going pretty smoothly, which for anyone who lives on and knows about the hellmouth, was something to worry about.

Lower Realm

The Source watched as the Scoobies became a bigger and tighter group. This led to the group becoming more effective at taking out any demons that managed to desperately the confines of the first few levels of the underworld. He hated being confined to this prison, knowing that he had to resort to letting his followers do his dirty work, which annoyed him to no end. If he were free, then he would've burned this planet already. But he remembered why: he underestimated the second of the Almighty. But even if he hadn't, whose to say what would've happened the day he fought against them. He felt Nocalla's presence enter his chamber.

"Looks like those particular humans are taking everything apart," the lower being stated.

"So I noticed. But there are still ways this can work to our advantage," the Source said smiling.

"How so?" Nocalla replied.

"Simple. We keep them distracted from us. And what better way than to keep them busy with live bait. First, we'll let them deal with that army unit. That will cause enough trouble to keep them occupied. Then we send Glory. After they're done with her, we seek Twilight and one of the Powers," the Source explained.

"Why use any of them?" Nocalla said wondering about his compatriots plans.

"Because I've been into that other world that Whistler told them of. And everything will go horribly wrong for both sides. Whistler was right when he said that there can never be a balance between good and evil. Eventually one will win out. But in that world, everything is a constant stalemate. Well, I will take this world and make it mine and they will but footnotes in what shall come to pass," the Source rambled much to Nocalla's disliking.

"Why don't you ever use Whistler's real name anymore?" the fallen asked his master.

"Likely the same reason that he doesn't use mine. Now begone," the Source said dismissing him.

"Can't wait for the reunion."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: If i actually owned this, everyone would have superpowers.

Author's note: It's been a while since my last update for this story. I've been able to use the special computer I have for this story. Which is why it isn't updated often. Anyway, I imagine why some of you are wondering about why I kept Veruca alive. I honestly felt it unnecessary for her to die because she was basically a werewolf version of Faith. And if Faith could come back from her walk through darkness on the show, why not Veruca, especially when you see that Oz learned how to control the werewolf in him. It seemes that there have been, to me, some unnecessary deaths. Which honestly, wasn't always the brightest of ideas, especially if someone could've just left. But it wasn't my choice. Now I'm going to update with something good, hopefully. And from this point, I"m just dropping dates because honestly, it's too much work to look up. Now, on with the story.

Art Gallery

Sunnydale, California

Prue Halliwell stood with Joyce Summers at the museum, as patrons continued to come in with the new art that the eldest Charmed sister helped to bring in. Joyce was already doing well with her job but with Prue's help, it brought in an target audience that she did not think she would see. Both women continued to smile as the last of the observants began to thin out.

"Well, this turned out rather well Prue. I really appreciate everything you've to this gallery. It's absolutely marvelous," Joyce said smiling brightly.

"Oh it's no trouble at all, Ms. Summers," Prue replied smiling just as brightly.

"Oh please. Call me Joyce," the Summers matriarch replied.

"Okay Joyce. Well, I suppose I could head over to the Magic Box. The others wanted to meet about something that happened during the last few weeks," Prue said sighing knowing what she would hear would be interesting to hear.

"Did something happen?" Joyce asked.

"Well, considering this town, it's a safe bet that something did. The only question is what," Prue replied.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure you all can handle it just fine," Joyce said, smiling sweetly at the younger woman.

"Thank you. Well, I'll get going. I'll see you tomorrow," Prue said walking away.

Magic Box

The large group of supernatural warriors was gathered for another day of the usual business, which was normal considering what they did. Buffy was noticeably quiet as the everyone was chatting about the events of the weeks that followed the incident with Veruca. First, Spike had a strange run-in with military soldiers carrying weapons that the gang would not have thought would work against the demons. After checking with Willy, the bartender confirmed that they had been active for some time since the Mayor's demise but weren't really causing trouble for anyone except the resident demon population. Another strange thing was the spirits of a Native-American tribe coming to back for vengeance against the descendants of those who wronged them. Finally, there were the events from last night where the entire town lost their voices after fairytale monsters known as the gentlemen used a magic box to steal their voices. It was with the combined effort of the group that there was only one victim.

Now the group sat in the magic shop going over the usual rundown of the after-slaying debriefing. Everyone was in better spirits than they had been the last two weeks. The only ones who weren't focused on the discussion were Buffy and Willow. Buffy hadn't been too focused since the previous night, which worried Kendra, Faith and the watchers. Willow on the other hand was still dealing with the aftermath of the incident with Veruca, who Xander and Faith felt could be a part of the gang. As much as she wanted to trust her friend's instincts, she was still weary, especially with the looks she gave Oz from time to time. Everyone was struck silent as the spell-casters and Xander felt something was dreadfully wrong. That feeling was followed by the most violent shaking that was felt around the whole town. Xander thought back to the only time that everyone felt an earthquake of such magnitude, as the floor was littered with alot of the shop's merchandise.

"Well...that was a thrill," Faith joked, wanting to snap everyone out of their trance.

Later that night...

Willow stood at a party that one of the fraternities decided to throw after the earthquake knocked out the power in the the college and most of the town. She had just finished speaking with one of the former jocks of Sunnydale, who was there with his girlfriend Laurie. The conversation was cut short as Laurie grew impatient and seemed short with the redhead, as if she considered Willow a threat. Willow walked in a random direction when she heard the jock and his girlfriend talking about her and insulting her by calling her a 'nerd'. While Willow normally would've been upset by this, she really didn't care at the moment as she knew that if not for her and her friends helping them survive the fight against the mayor, he would've been dead. She decided to get away form the noise and entered a seemingly empty room. She absently flicked on a light-switch and the lights came on, thanks to restored power. She looked at the bed and saw the body of one of the partygoers, with his throat slashed.

Police arrived minutes later and took the body away as Willow left and headed for Giles apartment. The young adults of the Scooby gang and the watchers and Charmed sisters discussed everything they felt since the earthquake. Willow had described a symbol she saw the partygoer's body and drew it on a sheet of paper. Xander was ready to joke about one of the tv stations but decided to leave it be, with the seriousness of the situation. Giles got up and had a knowing look that his fellow watchers recognized.

"What do you think Rupert?" Zabuto asked his compatriot. Giles merely sighed and looked up before he answered.

"It's the end of the world," Giles said almost nonchalantly. The young adults looked at the older Englishman.

"AGAIN?!" they all shouted, except for Tara who was still new to everything. She and the Halliwells looked to the group wondering what they meant by again.

"Um...someone want to fill in the blanks for the new guys here?" Piper asked hoping someone would explain.

"Well, living on the hellmouth has always been dangerous. And since the first apocalypse we've experienced, where the Master was freed, there's just been one apocalypse after another. It's that bi-annual company retreat, except in our case retreat literally means 'head for the fucking hills'," Xander explained, as everyone looked to him strangely.

"What?" Xander asked, looking around.

"Someone's finally got their sense of humor back," Willow said, smiling despite the situation.

"Yeah. I thought I wouldn't see my old Xander-shaped friend again!" Buffy said as she came up and hugged her friend. Willow joined feeling joy that some semblance of their friend was back.

"Ooookay ladies. I know you love my man here, but I"m the one who gives him all the lovin'. Ain't that right babe?" Faith said smiling seductively at her boyfriend. Xander turned red and sputtered out random gibberish, much to most of the ladies' delight.

"Well then, let's find out what's so important about this symbol so we can stop another apocalypse," Giles said. Everyone opened whatever books they thought would be useful in finding the information they needed. After about an hour, as the shop's door opened, everyone looked to see Gunn and Alana enter.

"Hey Y'all. What's crackin'?" Gunn asked only to stop at the serious looks on the faces of the Scooby gang.

"Another apocalypse," Faith answered nonchalantly.

"Again?! Do the demons do anything other than trying to end the world?" Gunn asked.

"Some like to get hammered while they talk about ways to destroy us, but they're just wusses anyway," Buffy answered his question.

"Okay. So how do we stop this-" Gunn was cut off as Giles spoke up.

"I found it! The symbol actually a talisman known as the Word of Valios. And it's used for a ritual called the Sacrifice of Three. To initiate the ritual, they need the blood of a man, the bones of a child and the talisman," Giles explained.

"What about the sacrifices?" Xander pointed out.

"Hm. It doesn't say. Whoever they are, we'd have to make sure to save them before they are gone," Giles answered.

"You know, I always thought that the end of the world would be rain of fire, four horsemen and then the Devil himself rises out of the depths of hell. None of this sounds even remotely like that," Alana said as she listened.

"Believe me, Alana, with everything we've learned over the last few months, it's surprising he hasn't even tried to make any moves. But as far as an apocalypse like this goes, this would only unleash what we used to believe were the Old Ones. Pure demons that were on earth and ruled for many years. Thanks to our friend, Whistler, paying us a visit, it seems that everything we've been taught to believe and what we knew when we were brought into this against evil was a mix of legend. A large part due to the Powers and Elders as well as mankind with the stories they've passed down. What we know for sure, as far as the popular mythology goes is that Hell and demons have been a universal concept among all ideologies. What everyone had trouble believing was who the prime power, powers, were that were in control. Now we know for sure that there is one that is greatest above all others. What we don't know is where do beings such as Hecaté and Janus fit into all this," Giles told the young African-American woman.

"This is just...too much," Alana said as she moved over to the register.

"We can talk religion later. We need to find that talisman before the demons do," Kendra said, before everyone moved to continue researching.

After a couple of hours of not achieving much, the group decided to split up. The afternoon turned to night, and the superpowered teens, along with Prue and Phoebe, decided to check the graveyards.

"So what made you want to hang with us? I mean, aren't you scared that you'd be limited with just your magic?" Xander asked, as he had only seen the Charmed sisters fight every so often, and each time was with magic.

"You'd be surprised how useful telekinesis can be. Besides, you're with us, so we've got nothing to worry about," Prue said, smiling to the young man. Faith looked at the older woman as if she might be a threat.

"Hold on. I feel something. There's a demon by that crypt there," Faith said as she spotted a green-skinned demon with quills coming out of its head.

"Xander and I can handle this," Prue said. She used telekinesis to stop it from walking while Xander charged energy in his hand. As the energy bolt let go, the demon shrieked and flailed about as the attack landed until it stopped altogether. The gathered the bag it was carrying and left the cemetery. Phoebe stopped as she got a surprised look on her face.

"What did you see?" Prue asked her younger sister.

"It's Giles. We need to get to his place fast!" Phoebe said as they all started running. As everyone arrived, they saw the door was kicked in and heard sounds of a fight going on. As the sounds stopped, everyone crept quietly to the door. Shadows moved along the walls closest to the entrance until demons similar to the one in the cemetery walked out, when Xander jumped one knocking it down, followed by the the slayers jumping into action. With the advantage in sheer numbers, the superpowered teens killed the demons and rushed in to find Giles coming to.

"Good lord. Did I miss anything?" Giles asked.

"Well, we stopped an apocalypse. Again. This is becoming too regular," Faith said thinking about the validity of her statement.

"How have you guys dealt with this?" Prue asked the group.

"Teamwork and all the like. At least we stopped this one like all the others. We can finally relax," Xander said.

"Actually. There's something you guys should know. But I'll have to tell everyone tomorrow," Buffy said.

The next day...

Everyone had gathered at the magic shop to hear what Buffy had to tell them. Everyone wondered what could be wrong that the bad news came form Buffy. They normally expected bad new to come from Giles. Everyone stopped as the blonde slayer came into the shop.

"Hey. I'm glad you're all-" Buffy stopped as the shop door burst open with Spike covered in a tarp to keep from burning in the daylight.

"Sorry everyone. Ran into some trouble last night and I had to make sure I got here quick," the platinum-blonde vampire spoke.

"What kind of trouble are you talking about?" Angel asked.

"Those blasted military types chased after me and I just barely avoided them. Whatever they're doing here must be pretty big. I've seen them capturing demons but not really killing any of them. It's odd, which is saying something coming from me," Spike explained.

"I suppose we can get back to that later. Buffy, what did you want to tell us?" Zabuto asked as everyone turned their attention to her.

"Right. I know who the military guys are. It's Riley and his friends," Buffy answered, leaving everyone shocked at the conclusion.

Riley Finn was the teaching assistant in the Psychology class that most of the teens in the group were taking. Xander, Faith, the Halliwells, and the Gunn siblings met him after they arrived in town. He seemed like a level-headed guy and was very nice. However, Xander could tell the older young man was hiding something. His posture had always seemed as if he was ready for any and everything that came his way. While there were no traces of evil intent within him, he knew that RIley was not like others. And now they all understood why. Before anyone else could respond to the news, the shop door opened. Everyone turned to see Riley himself entering but stop as he caught the guarded looks on everyone's face.

"Uh...hi?" Riley almost stammered. Despite being in the military, nothing could've prepared him for this.

"It's okay guys. Riley, you don't have to worry. They know," Buffy said to her love interest.

"That's a relief I suppose. Listen. I don't want you guys to get the wrong idea. We're not in the busy of trying to harm anyone. Only to keep demons off the streets," RIley began to explain. After visibly relaxed after hearing his words.

"Well, in the spirit of brotherhood, maybe we can trade stories with each other. I mean it seems like we're all practically doing the same thing here, you know?" Xander offered to the military officer.

"Well, I've basically told Buffy all about myself. Why not?" Riley answered. He moved to the group so that the dialogue would begin.

The watchers began with the story of the demons and the slayers, with a more amended version after the admonishing that Whistler gave. Riley listened to the story and was further interested when Giles mentioned the events surrounded Kendra's calling and Angelus' return. What surprised the TA even more was when the older Englishman mentioned Xander's powers. Xander himself had to show Riley what Giles was talking about and nearly fell over at the display of power. The story continued to where FAith was called and why they originally came to Sunnydale and the events that led to the destruction of the mayor and what happened during the summer, causing the group to expand. Needless to say, Riley was rather amazed.

When the story of the Scoobies was done, Riley explained the military outfit he worked for as well as its history. The Initiative goes back to over fifty years, during World War II. Angel and Spike had contributed as they happened to be present during the time and Kakistos was running amok. Riley further explained that after that incident, the government had set up the military group to handle any demonic activity present. Riley himself had joined after his first two years of college and was transferred to UC Sunnydale as they felt he was qualified to handle the intensity of such a place.

"This is really fascinating. We could do great things working with you guys. Maybe I could set up a meeting with Walsh and see what she thinks," Riley said. He was eager knowing that there were others who dealt in the same thing he did. However, he never would've imagine that this group had the abilities that he had only read about.

"Sounds good. Perha-" Giles was cut off as the shop doors opened again. As everyone turned around, Xander grew explicably pale at the young man standing in the doorway. Willow almost passed out if not for Oz standing near her. Buffy's eyes grew wide as she had flashbacks to when she met him.

"It can't be..." Buffy trailed off, trying to get over the shock.

"I thought that...that you were..." Willow nearly rambled off. Everyone else except Amy and Jonathan were confused as to why three of the founders of the group were horrified. Xander fully turned to get a good look at one of his oldest friends.

"Jesse," Xander whispered out as he looked at the man who was his brother in all but blood.

"Hey Xand man. It's good to see you."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Still don't own either one.

Author's note: So yes. Jesse's back. I imagine everyone reading this like 'Come on Man!'. There's a very good reason for this. Jesse is going to be integral in the changes I'm making to the canon in regards to this literal alternate universe story. And for everyone reading Lords of Shadow: Sunnydale, know that there's something major for that story in relation to this one. Now as far as how Jesse came back, I'm going to explain this chapter, but I'm opting for one that will be believable, so just go with it because with...well, just read it and find out. Also, someone had figured that Veruca breaking up Oz and Willow would lead to Willow and Tara getting together. And as much as I liked that pairing, there's a part of me that isn't entirely convinced about the way they got together. Also, I'm going to change who exactly they end up with, so for anyone who liked Willow and Tara, sorry.

Magic Shop

Mid January, 2000

Sunnydale

Xander slowly approached his old friend, feeling as if it were a dream that he had just fallen into. The others who were filled in on his demise were almost as shocked as everyone who knew the young man personally. For Xander, seeing his old friend alive and well, with some changes, brought out so much happiness as well as curiosity. He could sense that Jesse was very much human but he sensed a source of power being generated form his friend, which they would talk about later. Willow couldn't believe that Jesse had returned from wherever he was and was standing right in front of them. Despite everything that happened recently, she wanted to jump, shout, and cry all at the same time. Buffy, however, was feeling confused about what to feel. To this day, she still blamed herself for what happened to the young man who was one of Xander's life long friends. With the way everything had turned out now, she felt that she did not deserve Jesse's forgiveness. Jonathan and Amy could only watch in astonishment, as they had heard the story about Jesse's death from Xander after he brought them into the group. They sensed no danger from him either.

Jesse moved towards the man he considered a brother in an elated manner and wrapped Xander in a manly hug, which Xander returned in earnest.

"I can't believe it. It's great to see you man!" Xander said to Jesse.

"You too bro! Man, even with it being Sunnydale, it feels good to be back," Jesse said happily looking at everyone. He noticed Buffy had turned her head away from him, and saw a tear drop from her eyes.

"Hey Buffy, it's okay. There's no need to cry," Jesse said.

"Jesse, I...I just can't...I'm so sorry," Buffy said trying to hold herself together. As she closed her eyes, she didn't notice that in a flash, Jesse was standing next to her and had his arms wrapped around her in a warm embrace.

"It's alright. I never blamed you. You did your best. And those damned vampires were prepared. But I'm here now so I can help you all," Jesse said as he looked to everyone, as he let go of the blonde slayer.

"What do you mean? Something bad is coming and you'll be going back once it's over?" Willow asked, her voice slightly shaking with fear.

"Well yeah. There's some bad stuff coming. But I'm not going away for a long time. I've been given a second chance," Jesse replied, smiling at the redheaded Wiccan.

"Forgive me. We've never met. I'm Rupert Giles. I was the-" GIles as cut off as Jesse cut in.

"School librarian. I remember. Willow talked about you a lot. I know you were also Buffy's watcher. After I was turned, I remembered waking up in in the Master's lair. I felt off at first until I looked and saw my body just laying on the floor. And then it rose and had that creepy face. I ran looking for you guys, and when I found you, I tried everything I could to get your attention, but it didn't work. So i just walked around until suddenly this light surrounded me, and I was in this beautiful place. My folks always talked about Heaven but they didn't even come close with their description," Jesse explained.

"I see. Well, I suppose there's a lot you need to be filled in on," Giles said.

"I already know. I've seen everything that happened since I got to the higher plane," Jesse said, earning wide-eyed glances from everyone, as no one had ever heard about anything factual regarding the higher plane, except for the Powers, whom they disliked heavily with all they've learned.

"If you don't mind Mr. McNally, would you tell us about your experience," Zabuto asked.

"Sure thing," Jesse replied.

Over the next hour, Jesse had told them of everything that had happened since he had arrived on the higher plane. He had found a man with huge silver wings, in white robes with blue lining, and silver hair that was combed back standing in front of him. Jesse immediately recognized him as an angel and a pretty powerful one from what he was feeling. The angel introduced himself as Sachiel and was an archangel. Sachiel had explained that as an angel, he was given power to do what the Creator had asked. Over the course of history, others like Sachiel had been led by one particularly powerful angel to rebel and they fell. Many of the lesser angels that fell were what led to what everyone knew to be the beginnings of the Old Ones.

However, the fallen that were stronger than that had maintained their original appearance. The Creator had created the Powers and Elders in the stead of the the lesser angels who fell, but to the extent that they had much more flexibility in their decisions. However, many of them became corrupt which led to more of the Old Ones as well as the lies that spread about the origins of the supernatural as well as the Elders and Powers seeking to control their chosen, including the slayer, who just happened to come about as a circumstance of the Shadow Men, powerful magic users, infusing a young girl's being with the essence of a demon they captured. With her power as well as many others, most of the Old Ones were driven into the underworld. Those who remained at the time had spread their influence to many humans, and even intermingled with humans of the time, leading to the creation of the half-breed demons everyone knew today. However, demons like the Judge and Acathla being particularly powerful meant they most likely may have been one of the original Old Ones as many half-breed demons had nowhere near their power. Jesse's story that he learned from Sachiel came to an end as he had explained how the remaining Old Ones were driven out and the half-breeds remained as the rise of Nephilim began, leading to the biblical stories that everyone had at least heard of. Everyone, including the vampires of the group were floored by the story. While there was some commonality witht he stories they had heard, they never would've thought they'd see the day when someone would tell them about heaven and the days long past. However, there was still one matter at hand.

"Jesse, what happened to have ripped you out of heaven?" Jonathan asked. Everyone had heard about Angel's erratic behavior after he was brought back from hell. But they had never known anyone to have been brought back from heaven.

"It's actually a funny story. Not funny 'ha ha', but it's interesting all the same," Jesse replied as he began.

_Ten Days Earlier_

_Los Angeles Cemetery_

_A humanoid demon stood in a mausoleum along with it's minions as well as two humans, dressed in a professional manner. The lead demon had pale skin and wore a bronze mask. In the center of the mausoleum was a wooden crate that had four vampires chained to it. The lead demon held up a scroll and chanted._

"_I am Vocah. This is my decree: The old order passes away, the new order is come... He that was first shall now be last, he that was dead shall now arise," Vocah said as a miniature storm appeared over the box and lightning struck. The vampires that were chained were dusted and began swirling around in a vortex. While Vocah, his servants and the lawyers were reveling in one of their plans coming through, something else was taking shape on another plane._

_Higher Plane_

_Same Time_

_Jesse stood around the viewing pool of the giant crystal platform, watching as Vocah had invoked a powerful spell that would lead to no good. Three others stood with him: a lovely woman with brunette hair, wearing a white dress, a older gentleman who was heavily built with no hair a top his head, forming a cul-de-sac with the rest falling in a ponytail, and the last was another woman with raven-colored hair, slightly pale skin and a lovely figure. The man and pale woman wore what looked to be red robes or armor reminiscent of the ninth century. Their reverie was cut short as flashes of light appeared before them. Two figures, male and female, both with gold skin adorned with blue runes and black robes appeared looking intently at Jesse._

"_You are needed lower being," the male said. He lunged and grabbed Jesse._

"_Hey, let go of me!" Jesse shouted as he struggled to get free._

"_Remove your hands from his person!" a booming voice echoed in the distance. The next second, Sachiel appeared as if he were a shooting star._

"_This is none of your concern, winged one," the female replied._

"_In this quadrant of the heavenly domain, it is. And you are not welcome here. Now release him or you shall the wrath that Father has instilled within me!" Sachiel shouted. The oracles sensed his growing power and decided to retreat for now. Sometimes the archangel wondered how the so-called Powers had led themselves to think they were so high and mighty._

"_Sachiel, what was that all about?" Jesse asked concerned about what the male oracle said._

"_The Wolf, Ram, and Hart have summoned that demon to try and rip you from this plane and back into material form. They intend to use you to get to Xander and his friends. But I'm going to run interference and be the one to bring you back instead. And when you reach your friends, do not let them know about everything I've done so far. If Xander knows, his faith in himself will not withstand. Are you ready?" the archangel asked the young man. Jesse nodded in response. Sachiel turned to the other three and gave them a look which they all understood. Sachiel placed a hand on Jesse's chest and they both disappeared in an intense flash of light._

"_What do you suppose Gabriel will do when he learns the truth about us, Carmilla?" the older gentleman asked the Raven-haired woman._

"_I would imagine that he wouldn't be quite pleased, Cornell. When we learned what the spell that sent us here had done, and what Zobek's other half had done, we originally thought that we would die when our physical shells were destroyed. But it seems when our spirits were separated from our bodies, the ties binding the two had been severed. Why do you supposed our halves lied?" Carmilla asked in response._

"_Perhaps it was for the same that the Powers and Elders lie to their chosen. A form of control so that the chosen are manipulated. Just as we all were," The brunette woman said to the other two._

"_Fret not Marie. Gabriel will be set free of his immortality. As for the rest, they'll just have to weather their own storms as everything they've known has changed forever," Carmilla said._

"_I know. We'll just watch for now," Marie replied as they turned their attention to the viewing pool._

_Los Angeles Cemetery_

_Jesse opened his eyes and found himself in a wooden box. However, he felt changed; stronger in fact. He figured Sachiel must've given him a supercharge like Xander. He saw one of the lawyers approach the box and immediately shot a fist out and made a hole in the box, knocking out the male lawyer. Vocah's minions moved to apprehend him only to be met with blasts of red electrical energy. The minions were killed instantly and Vocah moved to Jesse with a scythe in his hand ready to fight. Jesse saw this and moved to intercept the demon. Vocah swung his scythe but missed, with Jesse punching the demon in the face, followed by him taking the scythe and swinging in a wide arc. The blade sang as it connected with Vocah's neck and the head fell off. Jesse ran off towards any exit he could find. When he finally found an exit, Sachiel was waiting for him. Sachiel grabbed Jesse by the arm and teleported him somewhere safe._

Present day

"And so Sachiel had me hold up in an apartment for ten days. I helped plenty of people and got used to me new powers. He told me that there wasn't much more I could do, so I left L.A. early this morning. When I got here, I checked around town for anyone who could help me find you guys, when I ran into Wesley," Jesse explained. Everyone's eyes widened.

"Wesley? How is he? We hadn't heard from him in weeks," Giles asked.

"Actually he's doing just fine. Although you wouldn't recognize him now. He's been wearing contacts, got the five o'clock shadow going, and he's ditched the stuffy suits. Short version, he's turned into a badass demon hunter," Jesse answered. Everyone looked at him as though he had gown two heads. However, the sentiment was immediately dashed as everyone remembered that Xander himself had been the one to initiate change thanks to Whistler.

"Again I say, this is all very fascinating. This opens up a whole world of things for...all of us really. If you guys want, I can set up a meeting with Walsh and see what she says, if you guys will come with," Riley offered to the fighters of the group. Xander thought it over as he realized maybe this wouldn't be so bad as he would need the job so that he could be the man he felt he needed to be for Faith and maybe the two units could share knowledge. He looked to the others, who surprisingly looked back as if they all felt he should make the call.

"Set it up Riley," Xander answered. The military officer smiled as he felt maybe the were headed in the right direction. However, things were only going to get more complicated.

Underworld

The Source had as the Scoobies only seemed to get stronger over time, all because of one small interference from one of the many he despised since his imprisonment. He had always believed that humans would never be able to truly come together over something greater than themselves but had been proven wrong. The worst aspect of these new developments was that his plan had barely begun and he knew these interlopers would have to be put down sooner or later, before they met one of the two people that were integral to one of the endgames he was looking to achieve. His reverie was cut short as another presence entered his domain. However, it was not Nocalla.

"I take it Lilith is receiving her punishment well?" the Source asked.

"About as well as can be expected. Which is saying a lot considering she was your first 'wife'," the female demon said, almost laughing.

"Ever the joker you are, Tiamat," the Source replied sarcastically.

"Oh relax. Just thought I'd add levity to the situation. Besides, it's only a matter of time before your old rival finds the boy and his friends. You can't really expect that he'd just take everything lying down?" Tiamat asked her leader.

"Hmph. To think that when he was human...If I had been at full power, then he would've burned with the rest of this planet," the Source sneered at the memory.

"Seeing as how Belmont is as strong as he Forgotten One, what do you suppose would happen if you did? He'd be able to fight you for at least three days unless his light and shadow powers are drained. Even then, that Harris boy and his friends are just as meddlesome as the father of the descendants of Cain and Abel," Tiamat said circling the Source.

"You're right. And when the Powers and Elders fall, we'll be there to pick up the pieces."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own any series I'm including by this point in the story.

Author's note: I wanted to take a little break from this story to work on Lords of Shadow: Sunnydale, because there was a plot I wanted to set up in that story that will be used in a similar manner here. For anyone reading, you can imagine what I'm going to have happen later on. And as with Lords of Shadow: Sunnydale, I'm going to skip over certain parts of the timeline in the buffyverse. As for the Charmed verse, I'm going to use some elements from there but any enemies are likely cannon fodder because with the cast of characters I've assembled, most of the scoobies could really just have a hand-to-hand fight while the spellcasters of the group, including the charmed ones could cast banishment spells and such. And really, with Xander and Jesse's abilities, there's a lot that can be done. Also, I'm going to try and have them interact with the characters here as much as possible. Anyway, on with the story.

Late January, 2000

Sunnydale, California

UC Sunnydale

The young adults of the Scooby gang and Riley, along with Forrest and Graham, stood in the empty classroom of professor Maggie Walsh. She had heard about the group from her top officer, Riley, and was curious about this group leading to requesting a meeting with this group of civilians. Everyone had stood in what felt like an awkward silence as they weren't sure ow exactly to address Walsh. For Tara, Willow, Amy, and Jonathan, they weren't sure how exactly they would fit in with a military installation that would likely see them as rebellious elements. With the slayers of the group, they felt maybe they'd have more help as they knew despite the abilities of the group, they could only handle so much, and there was likely so much they still had no idea about. As for Xander and Jesse, they felt something that made them feel off about Walsh. They looked to each other and communicated that they may want to hold back on their powers for the time being.

"So...a group of civilians has been defending this town from threats since before we arrived. Simply fascinating. And three slayers, which we believed to be legend. How is it that we've never come about your predecessors before?" Walsh addressed.

"Well, the the political intricacies of the organization, of which we were previously involved, disallowed for any outside interference as they believed it would deviate from their original purposes. However, there's also the consideration of whether or not the council, as it is regarded, wanted to maintain their influence over their warriors in a field in which there were patriarchal authority figures in a field where the female presence is an absolute must as we are the ones to whom the abilities are granted, yet we are mentally, and physically manipulated to obey commands without a moments hesitation," Faith answered for the group. Everyone looked at her frozen in surprise, including Walsh. She had understood that Faith Lehane was someone who was considered the more laid-back slayer of the group and preferred a more informal approach. Faith looked around at everyone and felt a little embarrassed.

"What? Diana home-schooled me for a while and some stuff stuck," Faith responded somewhat timidly. Xander could only smile with pride at his girlfriend's show of intelligence.

"Yes, well. That's quite an interesting dynamic. One that apparently seems to get a slayer into more trouble than she should. Which brings into question how you all came together," Walsh asked. Everyone looked to Xander as if expecting him to answer. FOr the next thirty minutes, Xander explained the majority of the events that had led to this gathering of what would appear at first to be a motley crew. Walsh could only sit and stare with wide eyes at Xander's story. SHe never would've guessed that there were demons who were capable of bringing about an apocalypse, let alone them stopping one just over a week prior. Of course, she had no idea of the group's interactions with Whistler as well as the fact that the true apocalypse was still far off, nor the fact that Jesse had died and come back.

"My word! This is amazing. If the world only knew of what you all were capable of! At any rate, I'm working on getting you all clearance for the base. Hopefully, we'll make great strides in the fight against the underworld. That will be all for today then. You all enjoy your day. Officers, you're dismissed," Walsh said smiling. Xander could tell that the smile was not genuine and that only set off an internal alarm in his head. As everyone left, the three soldiers followed them out.

"Well, that was...unexpected," Jonathan said breaking the ice.

"How do you mean?" Graham asked.

"We all kind of figured we'd be in a bit more...trouble considering we operate outside of your unit and we likely bee seen as a distraction. We've dealt with it before from the council," Amy explained for her love interest.

"Well, in truth, you guys have more experience in doing so than we've ever had. ANd the avenues that this opens up. I mean when I first heard about this, I thought it was crazy. Hell, I still feel like those things we catch are just animals. But then here you guys are, stopping four apocalypses, or is it apocalypsi?" Forrest asked still wrapping his head around the idea. Kendra only smirked and giggled, finding his confusion somewhat cute.

"Anyway, you guys have been through stuff that we haven't and you're still here. How do you do it?" Forrest asked. Xander spoke up.

"Well when we originally started, Buffy was key-girl, and most of us weren't even in the picture. But then after I started...rising through the ranks, so to speak, everything changed and we figured we could bring in more people who could help and at the same time maybe keep them from experiencing some bad stuff," Xander explained. Everyone looked to him and realized that despite him being the reason for a number of changes, they understood that they were still a team, no matter who did what.

"But the most important thing is that we help each other and watch each other's back when needed. Fact is, when you're in a life-or-death situation, all that matters is that you survive as best as you can and helps those around you f possible. Demons won't care about rank when they're trying to end our existence. So if worse comes to worse, you fight like it's your last," Xander said. The three Initiative soldiers all looked at Xander and understood exactly what he meant. The group simply walked off and spent the day as they would any other.

Early February, 2000

Sunnydale, California

Magic Box

The watchers, Charmed Ones, and Joyce had assembled at the new Halliwell mansion for an evening to themselves. It had been a while since any of them had much time for themselves with all of the fighting against demons. During the month, they found themselves spending less time with the young adults, who had been working with the Initiative. They had made significant progress, but had come across some demons that only the Charmed sisters would've been familiar with. However, these demons were vastly different from those the Scoobies had encountered. Not only were they maintaining a human appearance at all times, they also knew powerful magics, as if they like the Old Ones themselves. Luckily, Leo had come down and explained that these demons were particularly different as they used stronger magics than the Old Ones. Leo had explained that with the fall of angels from on high, the lesser angels who fell had become the Old Ones, and those who were stronger grew darker in nature. The Powers themselves were watcher Angels who, after the fall, were meant to help guide humanity while also dealing with the pantheons of the old gods, and the Elders were simply guardian spirits but both groups had been pushing boundaries that they shouldn't. This only furthered the group's feeling of relief that any manipulations they would suffer had been changed changed to Whistler and Xander. Everyone sat at the table in the living room with relaxing music playing while enjoying a game of blackjack.

"So, how's everyone's week? Hit me," Joyce said as the game continued.

"Well, aside from the usual, it's been nothing short of normal, whatever that is," Prue answered first.

"Well, since we all got involved in this war, we knew we were taking risks. Call?" Giles asked as he was the dealer.

"Still, it is nice to be able just sit back and have a night out. But I feel kind of bad that we didn't join the others for help with the Initiative. Makes me feel lazy. Especially after we had to deal with the Triad," Phoebe said as she lamented on the incident. Despite the Triad's power, it was easier to deal with and vanquish them with the sheer numbers as well as the magic power, along with Xander and Jesse's abilities. Despite this victory, everyone was still worried about what could possibly be next.

"I still can't believe that there are worse demons than the Old Ones. But then after meeting an angel of God, we shouldn't be surprised," Diana spoke up.

"It was a rather fascinating endeavor. Fact is, when it comes down to it, there was already a lot about the demons we've never known. And knowing that they're just half-breed off-shoots should've been a clear signal. What I can't understand is what is the real truth of the stories we've all been told so far," Zabuto commented.

"As far as we know about the Elders, the most we know is what Leo told us about whitelighters being human once and were granted powers to guide future white witches who would potentially be whitelighters. Since the bringers told us about the Source and the First, we know for a fact that they are the ones leading things in the underworld. And with meeting angels, the other thing we need to know is the identity of these guys and what they're planning. Call," Piper followed up. Everyone else called to play their cards. Joyce smiled as she had a score of 21 while everyone else had a hand that was either over or below.

"Tonight's my lucky night. And you guys are getting spanked," Joyce sang out in glee as Giles collected the cards to reshuffle the deck.

"Oh someone's getting spanked later on," Diana said looking seductively at Zabuto. Giles, who heard the comment, was caught off guard by the comment and caused the cards to shoot out of his hands and all over the table. Everyone looked at him as his usual manner of sputtering words and trying to clean his glasses was more humorous than usual.

"Come on, Rupert. We're all friends and adults here. You're not here with the young ones," Zabuto said.

"Thank goodness then. It's nice to be among other's closer to my age. By the way, did Jenny say why she didn't want to join us?" Giles inquired to the rest.

"She mentioned that she just wasn't up to it. I asked if she wasn't feeling too well but she just said she wanted to be alone tonight," Prue answered for the older Englishman. Giles thought for a second and figured maybe she felt he didn't belong or that she didn't want to be around anyone, especially with Xander being serious with Faith. He remembered during the summer the previous year that he had caught her crying when she thought she was alone. He figured that maybe it was the fact that she had found love from Xander but that she couldn't be the one to share it with him. Giles had felt the need to give her space knowing that he himself was a major part of why she also felt this way.

"We'll just call tomorrow," Prue said, catching the look on Giles face.

"I suppose so. Shall we play another game?" Giles suggested. Everyone nodded and Giles reshuffled the cards.

Sunnydale Woods

Soldiers in camouflage stalked around the area searching for something but having a hard time. Suddenly one of the soldiers came flying into a clearing, landing on his back as he hit the ground. The other soldiers took notice and readied their taser blasters, only to be knocked out by the three slayers. As one soldier fired his blaster, Xander jumped in front of the girls, catching the bolt of lightning in his hands and throwing it back, taking the soldier out of the fight. As more soldiers surrounded them and fired tired blasts, Jesse jumped down from a nearby tree, lunging himself towards Xander and the girls, and emitted a blue barrier that absorbed every bit of electricity that was directed at them. Everyone stopped to assess the situation further, until a pair of bright lights came on, followed by two others.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Though I'm curious; how did you boys manage what you did? I've never known any humans to pull those feats off," Walsh asked Jesse and Xander.

"Well, it's something we came into a while back. Psychic phenomena and all that. We figure if we could control it, we could do a whole lot," Jesse answered, telling Walsh half of the truth.

"Regardless, it was rather impressive. Well, that's all for tonight. I'll see you all tomorrow night for patrol," Walsh said walking off. The soldiers who were still conscious complimented the group on their efforts as they limped away. Riley, Forrest, and Graham stopped by the group.

"That was great! You guys just...I sound like such a fanboy right now," Riley said, making the others laugh.

"That was some top-notch stuff. We should take lessons form you guys," Forrest said smiling, particularly at Kendra.

"We're just doing what we were taught. It's no big deal really," Kendra responded smiling back. The rest of the group took notice smirked at the interaction.

"So I guess that's it. You guys need a ride?" Graham offered.

"Thanks. But it helps to at least walk in case we missed something earlier tonight. We'll see you guys later?" Xander asked. Graham and the other two soldiers nodded as they got in their assigned hummer and pulled off. The boys and girls who made up the warriors of the Scoobies walked back towards the town, splitting up as Xander and Faith neared their apartment. Xander stopped for a second as Faith took notice.

"Something wrong baby?" Faith asked.

"I know it's late but we should make a stop by Jenny's," Xander said, earning a strange look from Faith.

"Is something wrong? You gettin' a vision?" Faith asked worried. Despite the history she knew existed between Xander and Jenny, she couldn't help but like the technnopagan. She wished that she could help her find someone but she figured that something rare like love was not something you could force.

"I just want to check on her is all," Xander said. Faith nodded and they proceeded to Jenny's.

Calendar Residence

Xander and Faith approached the house and noticed the lights were still on inside. The two young adults approached the door cautiously. Xander knocked on the door and waited for a response. After a minute, there was some shuffling and Jenny opened the door, with her hair looking slightly disheveled, in a house robe. Xander and Faith both looked surprised to see Jenny in this state, as she always carried herself with an image of loveliness. However, now she looked like an average woman. Xander and Faith noticed that her eyes seemed red and puffy.

"Hey guys. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"We were just...in the neighborhood," Faith began. She chose not to say anymore after seeing the look on the Romany woman's face.

"Come in," Jenny said opening the door further. The house looked the same to Xander.

However, he noticed a few items scattered around the room. One thing in particular that stuck out were two medallions; both were round and had a set of five slots. In the slots were five blue gems in one and five red gems in the other. Xander could sense some power in the items and took a good look at Jenny, and noticed that she had considerably more raw power than she had before. He had sensed magic in her since he gained his powers but now there was more to it than he ever felt. However, the magic felt different than anything Amy, Willow, Jonathan, or Tara had conjured.

"Don't worry, they're not dangerous. Those were sent over by my family," Jenny said.

"Your family? What did they send and why?" Xander asked.

"The medallions and the gems in them contain a power known as light and shadow magic. Light is capable of protection and healing. Shadow brings out aggression and strength. I've been trying to find a way to combine the two into a potent combo. SO that way I could be of better use to this fight against demons," Jenny began.

"How come the council doesn't have anything like this?" Faith asked.

"If I had to guess, the council likely knew something about where these came from but have a very small record. The info actually came from my own family. My ancestors apparently had ties to this group called the Brotherhood of Light, dating back all the way to the eighth century. But these magics are about as old as magic itself gets. Even as old as the Old Ones," Jenny elaborated further.

"Who was the last person to use this? Whoever it was must've left a pretty big trail to follow, right?" Xander inquired.

"You'd think so but it's not the case. My understanding is that very few of the members actually used both of these magics to fight against the demons. The last guy who did fought the biggest and baddest evil there is. He didn't kill it but he apparently won and banished him back to the basement. But all records afterwards stop about a few years before the turn of the twelfth century," Jenny divulged.

"So why this to you now if no one else has used this kind of mojo for so long?" Faith questioned. She could tell something about this was odd. While it wasn't bad, it just seemed to weird to believe it to be entirely good.

"It's explained in the letter that came with the package. My family sensed a big evil that would rise at some point. And if I could find this right combination, I might be able to unlock a power that no one's apparently seen in a long time. Except for one problem," Jenny trailed off.

"What's that?" Xander asked.

"The letter I got wasn't from my family. Ever since the incident with Angelus, I've been ex-communicated from them, by my own choice. They were so obsessed with revenge on Angel that they failed to see that big picture. Not just the human lives at stake but the consequences of my ancestors using a spell like that," Jenny explained even more.

"You mean Angel's moment of pure happiness?" Xander asked.

"Yes. It turns out, they made a critical mistake when they cursed Angelus. The demon that took over the body after the soul left was supposed to suffer remorse. However,r they ripped a human soul out of the afterlife and crammed it in with the demon. The reason Angelus was still so evil was because he never suffered. But the part of Angel that was once human did. Even after realizing this, my family just took it in stride and let it continue," Jenny practically seethed.

"So a demon actually feeling remorse is impossible?" Faith asked.

"Surprisingly no. Drusilla is proof of that. You've noticed she's actually made an effort to not only help us but she hasn't harmed anyone. Whatever happened to her after the Acathla incident must've been big," Jenny said, missing the look of irritation on FAith's face, and embarrassment on Xander's.

"So who do you think sent this stuff to you?" Xander asked.

"Whoever it was clearly knows more about this than anyone should. I had heard stories when I was a girl. But the sender was intimately familiar with this," Jenny added.

"Well, no point trying to solve puzzles now. It's already late. We should let you sleep," Xander said moving towards the door.

"Don't bother Xander. You two just stay here for the night. No arguing," Jenny said pointing a finger at them, getting her point across. The two followed her upstairs as Faith followed Xander to the guest bedroom and stopped just short of door.

"What's up?" Xander asked his girlfriend.

"I'm gonna have a word with Jen. I won't be long," Faith said as she moved to Jenny's bedroom. She heard the guest bedroom door close behind her as she approached the master bedroom. Before she could knock, Jenny opened the door looking blankly at the dark-haired slayer.

"Good timing," Faith joked.

"Come in Faith," Jenny invited. Faith stepped in feeling a little odd being in the room as Jenny sat on her bed.

"So. This is THE place. The same bedroom where you took my boyfriend's innocence," Faith quipped. She noted the sad look on Jenny's face as the technopagan looked away.

"Oh god! Jenny, I didn't mean..." Faith said trying to choose her words.

"It's not that Faith. Truth is...I love Xander every bit as you do. But I had to give him up," Jenny said, trying to hold back tears.

"Why?" Faith asked hoping to understand.

"Because I don't have the strength to stand by him. When he saved me from dying at Angelus' hands, I sensed his power I knew he would go down a hard road. For a lot of humans who aren't supernaturally gifted, it's basically stand up or stand back. But those who are inclined by supernatural forces, whether or not by choice, it's very difficult. You not only find yourself struggling to survive fight after fight, but you also find yourself losing everything that could make being human worthwhile. That's why I've been trying to figure out this thing with Light and Shadow; so I could understand him more and be by his side if he needs me," Jenny said as a few tears rolled down her face.

"You're trying to hold on. You're letting him go but don't want to lose him forever," Faith determined, which Jenny confirmed with a nod. Faith sat next to the Romany woman and wrapped her in what she hoped was a comforting embrace.

"If it means anything, X loves you too. He always will. The bond you two have is something even I can't come between, and I wouldn't want to. You guys understood what it meant to do the right thing and to always think of others first. It may not have worked the way you guys hoped but you're both still here. And you two gave each other a chance at something you thought you wouldn't have. And from here on, I've got your back. Just say the word and I'll be here to help you," Faith said. Jenny returned the embrace and the two just held each other for a few moments before they broke away.

"Thanks Faith. Xander's fortunate to have you," Jenny said.

"Not just me. He's lucky to have US," Faith emphasized. Jenny smiled warmly at the young woman. As Faith left her bedroom, Jenny laid down. For the first time, in months, Jenny felt alright.

Faith entered the spare room and noted Xander lying awake staring at the ceiling until he was aware of Faith's presence. He glanced at his girlfriend curiously.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just needed a little girl talk. She's a god woman," Faith said.

"Yeah. She really is," Xander said. Faith noted the affection that laced is voice and smiled at him.

"What?" Xander wondered.

"Nothing. Just glad to have a great guy who has two women who care so much about him," Faith answered, still smiling. Xander's face scrunched up in confusion until he saw Faith's smile as she laid down and spooned herself against him. Xander figured that whatever was said may have likely just built a bridge between the two. As he thought about Faith's statement, he smiled as he realized something: he was the luckiest man in the world.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Still don't own.

Author's note: So yeah. I finally resolved that whole thing with Jenny, Faith, and Xander. I'm guessing some of you may be disappointed that there won't be a triangle. Honestly, it seemed pretty pointless since the story itself isn't about the romance but more so the self-discovery and such. If I wanted it to go down that way, I'd have turned it into a romance story with loads of lemons, which I'm not sure I'd want to do. At any rate, I'm finally going to get to the heart of season 4, which will have bigger changes. So don't be surprised if this goes surprisingly quick. Also, for anyone wondering about Oz, Veruca, and Paige in the last chapter, they usually do their own thing, so they're still in the picture. Also, I'm sure some of you are wondering about the mythology I'm using for the show. Fact is, Joss Whedon has actually based the ideas of demons not off of the religions known to man while mixing it with the Cthulu appearance for Old Ones. As for the Powers, they themselves are basically like the angels in supernatural who tried to control Sam and Dean, just as the Elders. However, everyone must remember that the Elders were once human. And despite their abilities, them moving on does make them higher beings. But they ARE NOT angels. Humans can't become angels contrary to popular belief. Anyway, Whedon's recent addition to Myresto Mor in the comic continuation, it's possible Whedon may have actual angels included into the mythology. And in truth, it's not really an impossibility if you look up who Mor was disguised as. Anyway, on with the story.

Late February, 2000

Sunnydale

Bronze

The Scoobies sat inside the club along with Riley, Forrest, and Graham. Forrest and Kendra sat together chatting happily with each other. Willow and Jesse were on the dance-floor happy to be able to do this after years of being apart while Xander and Faith danced, with Faith being sultry and Xander just trying not to embarrass himself. Tara and Graham were dancing with Graham holding the blonde witch's hands and her smiling timidly at him. Graham just smiled as he had gotten to know her as the night went on. Forrest and Kendra were about the same as the two seemed to have a lot in common with the way they thought. Buffy and really seemed to be the coziest amongst the couples. Amy and Jonathan did their usual thing of hanging with each other even with their feelings. Cordelia just sat back and watched everything happen as she wondered why she hasn't met someone for her. However, her conclusion was that she hadn't really thought much about romance since the previous year.

She thought back to some of her talks with Jenny about Xander. While she wasn't in the same boat as the Romany woman, she at least understood what she felt to a degree. She figured maybe she'd stay away from dating for the moment until she meets someone who was more about heart and character than the values, or lack of for that matter, that her parents instilled in her. Before she could think further, she heard multiple beeps go off as the fighters of the Scoobies and the Initiative soldiers look down. They looked to the others who nodded and waved their beepers to let them know to call them if they need help. Xander, Jesse, and the girls left with Riley and his unit to head back to base.

Initiative Base

The soldiers and the warrior Scoobies assembled assembled in front of Walsh as well as a doctor, known as Angleman, who explained the reason for their being called. A projector and screen were set up showing their target.

"Your target is a polgara class species. This breed leaves behind a distinct protein marker. Dr. Angleman will brief you on defenses," Walsh said as Angleman stepped forward placing transparent papers on the projector.

"When threatened, these bone skewers jut from its forearms. It's imperative in this mission that it's arms remain undamaged. That's all," Angleman said as he stepped back. Xander raised his hand.

"Yes Harris," Walsh said.

"Why exactly are they here?" Xander asked.

"I don't understand your question," Walsh responded looking confused, as did the rest of the soldiers.

"Well, normally when this thing happens we try to determine what the demon wants. Usually to feed, breed, or just nest somewhere. Also, why should the arms be undamaged?" Xander asked further.

"Uh, well...the Polgara seem destructive in nature and that's really the most we know. As for it's arms, we wish to study the physiology of every HST's natural defenses. It's part of our research here," Angleman answered.

"Also they have a keen eyesight, so camouflage will be necessary for this mission," Walsh added. The six Scoobies looked around and felt embarrassed.

"Don't worry. Camouflage has been provided for all of you," Walsh said, smiling at them.

Sunnydale Woods

The unit hid within the bushes waiting for anything. Xander and Jesse had been assigned to Forrest and Graham respectively, as had Faith and Kendra. Buffy was assigned with Riley. Before anyone could do anything else, a radio signal came on with Delta team signaling Beta team. One of the soldiers handed the walkie talkie to Graham.

"This is Miller. Go ahead. Say again Delta team, you're breaking up," Graham said, when the Polgara jumped out from hiding. XAnder and Faith were immediately on it and fight it until Xander grabbed it's head and twisted it's neck, killing it. Faith came up to her boyfriend.

"So what do you wanna do now?" Faith asked.

Lowell House

Tara sat in Graham's room as she listened to him talk about the events of the night. After they reported back to Walsh, they were dismissed and Graham met back up with Tara at the Bronze where they continued their night of fun. They had returned to his room and had talked. The blonde witch had explained her childhood to the soldier. He listened intently as she explained that she had been too shy to talk o boys as her father and brother had physically abused her. However, he couldn't help but admire her for being able to not only leave when she did but to also open to him when she could've avoided him. For Tara, she couldn't help but feel warm and safe around Graham.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I can't imagine too many people having your strength," Graham said. Tara looked into his eyes and saw the sincerity that accompanied his words.

"Thank you. This last year so far has been eye-opening. I have to be honest. I-I thought maybe I would've been attracted to girls but...now I think it was initially because I had never been with any man. And being with you now...it feels...good," Tara said meekly. Graham smiled at her and slowly moved forward. Tara looked up and slowly approached Graham. Their lips touched, then turned into a long kiss. Unfortunately the moment was ruined as they heard two distinct voices loud enough to echo through the floor they were on. Their eyes snapped opened as they heard Kendra's voice moaning low, while also hearing Buffy's. Graham shook his head laughing at his fellow officers. Tara could only look with wide eyes as she heard the noises.

"Those four really don't waste any time," Graham said laughing to himself. Tara smiled at him.

"Graham. I-" Graham put a hand up to cup her face.

"It's okay. I get it. I wouldn't want to rush things. Would you just...stay with me tonight?" Graham asked. Tara nodded as Graham laid back on his bed. Tara followed suit, laying her head on his chest with her right arm draped across his chest. The two stayed that way the rest of the night.

Xander and Faith's Apartment

Xander and Faith laid in bed trading kisses. They had finished making love after Walsh dismissed everyone on assignment. However, something was on Xander's mind that he just couldn't shake off. He pulled away from Faith to look at her.

"What's wrong baby?" Faith said breathing heavily.

"Something just doesn't sit right with me about tonight," Xander said.

"Okay, if you're saying this, I should be worried," Faith replied as she straightened up a little.

"Glad to know my word means something. But there weren't anymore demons running around. While that's normally a good thing, I can't help but wonder why exactly that is. The Initiative bags and tags demons for sure but then...how could they possibly capture so many?" Xander asked while wondering to himself at the same time.

"You think they know something we don't? Because if they do, that means we've got some digging to do," Faith responded.

"Maybe. But for tonight...how about round two?" Xander asked leering at faith with a naughty grin.

"Baby, with the way we go, I'd say round 4 is as high as we go," Faith said as she moved to straddle Xander, while capturing his lips.

The next day...

Faith and Xander woke up as a beeping sound brought them out of a restful (and active) night's sleep. Faith lifted herself off of Xander's body and looked to the nightstand as she saw her beeper rumbling. She reached over to check the screen showing a page from Walsh. Soon after, another beeping sounded this time with Xander's sounding off.

"Damn. She must really need our help," Faith said.

"Better get going while the going's good," Xander said, getting up to get dressed as Faith did the same.

Initiative Base

Faith and Xander stood with Walsh along with Kendra, Jesse, and Buffy. Walsh had briefed the girls on a simple reconnaissance assignment. The two young men just listened intently, both wondering why such a simple job would require three slayers when one could handle any half-breed could be slain by one slayer. Xander had told Jesse of his suspicions when they met up and his friend agreed as he felt something wasn't right either.

"Now, Harris and McNally, you'll be going with Finn, Gates, and Miller on recon for a hostile that seems to have escaped one of our units. They'll need both of you since we aren't aware of the abilities of this HST. Now, you all gear up and be ready to move out," Walsh said not caring whether they responded to her in kind, as their group did use formalities.

"So what do you think is up with this order? I haven't picked up anything since last night," Jesse said to Xander.

"I don't know. Depending on how powerful the demon, I can pick up their presence. For smaller ones, it doesn't matter. Young vampires have just about no power. But one like Angel would be hard to miss, especially when he's got a soul and a demon," Xander explained.

"But now there's nothing? Because Everything else seems to be here. It's weird," Jesse added.

"We're just gonna have to trust the girls to handle whatever they deal with," Xander said as they walked towards Riley's unit.

Outside Giles' Apartment

The unit led by Riley had been following a signal on a tracker that took them past the Englishman's residence. It was odd as Riley was curious as to why the signal was being emanated in that particular area. Riley stopped as the signal was very close to them.

"Hold on. Whatever kind of HST that's being tracked is headed our way. 15 meters," Riley said as the others put their guard up.

"10 meters?" Riley asked himself as nothing was in sight.

"Damn! It's right on top of us!" Riley shouted as everyone looked around but sa nothing still.

"What the hell is going on?" Forrest asked not liking the situation.

"It ran right past us," Riley said as the tracker indicated that the target had approached been then proceeded away at an incredible speed.

"Something's wrong," Graham said.

"Sewers," Xander spoke up.

"Damn. This thing was smart," Forrest commented.

"I'm not even sure there was a thing to begin with," Jesse said.

"What are you talking about?" Forrest asked wondering what the younger warrior was implying.

"You guys know what Jesse and I can do. We can even sense the presence of a demon. They tend to give off this weird...feel just as the hellmouth does for the slayers. Depending on how strong it is, the demon can give off a horrible feel to it. We can even tell when a human is a magic user. But it seems like whatever we were tracking wasn't a demon and didn't seem to use magic," Xander explained.

"Are you saying we may have just been thrown on wild goose chase?" Riley demanded.

I don't see any other explanation. And our extrasensory perception doesn't lie at all," Jesse added.

"But why send out like this?" Graham asked.

"I don't know but we need to get back," Xander said as they ran back to the base.

Initiative Base

As the young men came rushing back in, they approached Walsh who looked strangely melancholic, despite her stoic nature. Walsh's expression turned to disheartened as she proceeded to say something.

"Boys, something happened. I'm sorry to say that...the girls are...dead. They were fighting a group of demons who overwhelmed them. I'm afraid there was-" Walsh stopped as the sound of static was heard. She turned to the screen behind her, which revealed a group of demon corpses and Faith, Buffy, and Kendra to be alive and well..

"What the hell is going on?" Xander asked not liking what he saw.

"Professor Walsh, I know you can hear us. So listen good," Faith said.

"Those blasters you gave us malfunctioned. And those demons you were experimenting on were waiting for us," Kendra spoke up.

"We don't know what you're planning, but you can be sure our boys will find out. And then you'll understand why you don't mess with us. So get ready," Buffy said as the signal cut off. The young men looked to Walsh, who had a fearful expression on her face, knowing she had been caught. She knew it was pointless to escape as Xander's and Jesse's abilities would take her down without much effort.

"God dammit! It was all for nothing!" Walsh spat out in disgust.

"What was for nothing? And what was Buffy talking about just now?" Riley demanded of his superior. Walsh almost refused to speak before she noted the deathly gazes from Xander and Jesse.

"Alright. I was trying to get rid of the slayers, while keeping Harris and McNally distracted until they were gone. They were a threat to the 314 project," Walsh explained.

"But the project is supposed to help keep the HST's in check. How would the girl's be a threat?" Forrest asked, worried about Walsh's reasoning.

"This is why soldiers are taught to obey and not think. As long as you don't question anything, you won't have to know much to survive. But with these 'Scoobies' in the picture, it made plans increasingly difficult," Walsh said.

"You want to cut to the big picture here, before I lose it?" Xander demanded.

"Fine. Follow me," Walsh said. The unit followed her to door 314, where she used her keycard to get in. They followed her in wondering what they were about to learn. Angleman approached as he saw the soldiers with Walsh.

"Relax Angleman. There on that table is project 314," Walsh said pointing to something covered by a blanket. Xander walked over and yanked the blanket, immediately wishing he hadn't. One the table was a horrible monstrosity. It had parts of a human face, as well as parts of demons and various machinery. This...thing seemed even worse than when Xander and the group found out about Chris resurrecting his brother as some sort of monster straight of the Frankenstein novel. However, the monster on the table seemed to much worse. Even sickening was the power Xander felt coming off of the creature.

"What the fuck is that?!" Jesse shouted.

Walsh explained the history of the Initiative, which went as far as back as World War II. She had explained that at the time, the Axis Powers were employing demons to help them win the war. However, thanks to good planning, and a hell of a lot of luck, the United States was able to succeed in bringing the war to an end. However, it opened up a new avenue into studying the demons and their abilities. However, the organization had no plans of creating what Walsh had called Adam. Xander stepped forward as she finished her explanation.

"How do I disarm this thing?" Xander demanded as he knew he'd have a little more trouble on his hands than usual. Walsh cowered before speaking to answer.

"You'd have to remove its uranium power core in its abdomen," Walsh answered. Xander walked over to the body and noticed the stomach wasn't perfectly stapled. Xander plunged his hand into the creature, which had sprung to life. Xander fortunately ripped the core out of Adam before it could defend itself. It took one last look around and noticed Walsh.

"Mommy?" Adam said in a deep voice, before it stopped moving altogether. Xander turned to look disdainfully at Walsh.

"Someone have put her in cuffs," Riley commanded as one of his unit followed the order.

"Is there anyone we can contact to inform them of what was going on?" Jesse asked Riley. The unit commander thought on this and realized who needed to be informed.

Riley grabbed Walsh by the arm as he directed Xander to the communications room. Jesse had Adam's schematics in hand as he followed. As they walked through the base, they noted other soldiers stare and try to stop them only to be reprimanded by Angleman who had heard the confession and decided to go along, knowing how this would end. The group finally reached the communication room, where RIley sat Walsh in a chair and punched in a code. The screen flickered on, revealing a middle-aged man in a formal suit.

"This is Ward. Finn? Why have you contacted me?" the man asked wondering what the call was about.

"Forgive me sir. I wouldn't disturb if this was not if the utmost importance. But I'm afraid there has been a mutiny here at the Initiative," Riley began. Ward looked to Walsh then back to Riley.

"Explain yourself Finn," Ward ordered.

"It started when..."

Three months later...

Halliwell Residence

Mid May, 2000

The Scooby Gang along with Riley, Forrest, and Graham had gathered at the mansion for a night of celebration. After Riley's call to Mr. Ward, Walsh was court-martialed, as was Angleman, who got off lighter as Walsh had abused her command over him. Ward had come to Sunnydale to inspect everything himself, the next day. Much to his surprise, everything done at the Initiative was unlike what the organization was originally charged with. He had suggested that the soldiers find new purpose in the group by returning to it's original mission of tracking and destroying demons. Most of the soldiers decided to take on this new venture, except for Finn, Gates, and Miller, who decided to stay behind. Ward did not push any further, and decided that the group they worked with would need some back up and decided to continue funding the three for their part in helping to guard the hellmouth. Needless to say, this had made the soldiers and the scoobies quite happy. For three months, the group enjoyed peace.

"This has been one hell of year," Prue said happily as she thought back to how things had changed for her.

"Indeed. I never would've guessed the kind of things we'd be able to accomplish with a group like this," Zabuto added.

"I propose a toast. To another successful, if not less painful, year. To a brighter future," Giles said lifting his glass of champagne.

"TO THE FUTURE!" The group shouted in joy.

Lower Realm

The Source looked on as the Scoobies continued to grow. This was unlike what he knew was supposed to happen. Not only had three unlikely groups come together, they had become a stronger force which had kept the hellmouth even more protected it should've been. He figured the next phase of his plan would come begin not long from now. Another presence entered his domain as he mused. This one had short dark hair and black feathered wings as Nocalla.

"Things not going quite as planned brother?" the new entity said snickering.

"Samael. Why is it you as well as Tiamat feel the need to pester me frivolously?" The Source asked, really wanting to smite his brother.

"It amuses me. Come now brother, you knew a long time ago that humans were capable of doing more than even you thought possible with just the right guidance. If not for Sachiel's interference, do you really think that group would be like this?" Samael asked.

"I understand that perfectly. But now, it's time I made a move. Let Glorificus know I've found her ticket back home," The Source said smiling.

"Remind again why I put up with her?" Samael asked, growling out of irritation.

"Because not only will she throw them off balance, but with her gone, I have one less enemy to worry about. By the way, I've decided to renounce my title," The entity said.

"Why so?" Samael asked his brother.

"I may be the epitome of all evil. But I'm no longer the only source. After all, human sin blankets this world and only grows stronger. Now, you are the Source. You shall be my general. Nocalla has already taken the position of the First. Just do whatever you can to keep those humans off balance," the dark leader replied.

"I see. With those humans guarding the hellmouth, they won't have time to worry the other methods of release that you're planning. Which means given time, those brothers will release you. Is that right, Dark One?" Samael asked. The leader snickered to himself knowing his plan would come to fruition.

"Absolutely."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Still don't own either series nor the one I'm about to bring into this chapter.

Author's note: For anyone disappointed by the lack of action during the story arc with Adam, I didn't really see much use for him as far as this story goes. As for leaving Walsh alive, there wasn't really much reason for her to die, because even if Adam didn't kill her, one of the escaped demons in the show's canon would've gotten her like that general, or she would've just been arrested and imprisoned. I'm mainly going off of sensibility of choices for the characters and story, especially with the abilities I've given to some of the characters. I'm making this into a series of stories leading to one big build up which is why plenty of characters are left alive as well as a part of the group. So for anyone who was confused, there you go. As for the dates of the chapters, I've mentioned about deciding to skip around to major points of the story, and finding the exact date is point by now since I'm jumping months. Now for the next chapter.

Late August, 2000

Xander and Faith's Apartment

Sunnydale, California

The young couple lay asleep in their bed as they had been enjoying the summer with the supernatural being uneventful, as the last four years seemed to go. Xander had told, re-told, and told once again the story behind Adam as Faith could not get over the fact that a human being saw fit to mess with another human's life, let alone one who had moved on from the material plane. There were times like this when she wondered where she should draw the line as the slayer. Demons who were a threat to humans were one thing but humans doing what they did to other humans left her upset. Luckily, Xander had reminded her that humans laws had to be dealt among their kind, or else they became violent aggressors trying to force right and wrong on others. Faith had calmed down felt better afterward. As she was asleep, she landed smack in the middle of the dream-scape.

Faith awoke in the middle of a desert that she had never seen, alongside Xander. However, they weren't alone as Buffy and Kendra were right next to her. Further looking around revealed that Riley, Forrest and Graham, as well as Tara had been there. Surprisingly, Jesse and Willow were with them as well. They all looked to each other wondering why they had been drawn here. The three slayers had been used to having the slayer dreams but this one was a brand new level of intensity. Tara herself felt like the outsider as she believed there wasn't much of a warrior inside of her, despite her mother's teaching's on white magics. She decided to break the self silence as it was getting to be too odd.

"Does anyone know why we're here? I mean this seems odd even for the hellmouth," Tara said gaining everyone else's attention.

"You're right Tara. Even with everything we've seen, this is weird. I can't even feel any demons. Weird," Xander answered to the blonde witch.

"But how did we get here? We were all asleep back at Lowell house when we woke up here. You think someone put some mojo on us?" Forrest asked as this was surreal, if not a bit scary for him.

"I don't think so. Teleportation spells take some major power. Tara and myself, and even Jesse and Xander would've felt it and we would've jolted out of our sleep. But there's something here I can't explain," Willow explained.

"Yeah I feel it too," Jesse added.

"But why would someone bring us here?" Graham asked being just as unsure as Riley and Forrest.

"There must be some reason," Riley threw in.

"Guys. Something is coming," Kendra spoke up as Xander and Jesse stiffened. The Wiccans and slayers did the same, leaving the former soldiers frantically looking around as they didn't have the abilities as the others did. Before anything else happened, the supernatural warriors turned, followed by the soldiers to find Veruca standing in front of them. She stood in a red, fairly translucent dress that wrapped her body, while exposing her midriff and a bit of cleavage. The others eyed th short werewolf as they had known her manner of dress was a bit more relaxed than Faith's. However, not only was her appearance startling, but her presence did not feel the same.

"Veruca, what are you doing here?" Xander asked the short female werewolf.

"You think...you all think you know...what you are...what's coming," the female werewolf said in a meek voice opposite of her usual manner.

"Why are talking like that? Is someone controlling you?" Willow asked. Despite her antagonism towards Veruca, she had come to accept her into the group.

"I was borrowed. My form is merely a vassal for the one who speaks through me. She has summoned you all here," Veruca said as a menacing figure moved behind her. The figure had a feminine form, with dark skin, and long stringy hair. She was wrapped in bandages all over her body.

"Who the hell are you?!" Faith asked the the feral looking woman.

"I am your progenitor. The very first of your line, when the world was overrun with the Old Ones," Veruca said as the bandaged woman made odd gestures.

"Maybe you could use your own voice instead of this copycat of our friend," Xander spoke up.

"No friends. Just the kill," the First Slayer said clearly, in a raspy voice.

"Oooookay. So you're the one who brought us here. Why?" Riley asked. The ancient slayer looked at him with a sneer.

"The Slayer has always fought the war against the demons alone! We are not to have any allies except those who watch us. And there should only be one. But you, Alexander Harris are an affront to everything that maintains the balance," she said looking angrily at Xander.

"The hell did I do?" Xander responded.

"The slayer line has always been just one. When she passes the next takes her place and so on and so forth. The Powers have declared it so," she answered Xander's question.

"Hate to break it to you, but I don't give a rat's ass about what the Powers, let alone what the Elders want. Besides, the way the council has been fighting this damn war, it's a wonder the world hasn't been taken over by demons. You can blame us all you like. But fighting something like this alone only gets more people killed. One person alone can't stand against an army," Xander said with absolute conviction in his voice.

"While we're on the subject, just how did you get your powers?" Faith asked now that she had the chance. She noticed the First slayer had stiffened at the question. She recognized that expression as she once had the same reaction when asked about her past. Xander and the others noticed as well as they had seen certain moments where Faith was vulnerable.

"What happened to you?" Xander asked. The First slayer looked away for a second. The emotions that she was almost out of touch with since her death were resurfacing.

"My name...was Sineya. I was just a girl living in a tribe with my family when the Old Ones laid claim to this world. When I was but a little younger than you all are, they came for me. I was chained to the earth, and they...they gave me the power. A dark power. To fight back against the Old Ones. But the price I paid was heavy," Sineya explained.

"What did they do and who were they?" Kendra spoke as she was stunned by what they were all witnessing.

"I'm afraid it is not time for you to know that. There are great things you must overcome before you discover the rest of the truth. Now, you all shall return," Sineya said as a bright light encompassed them all. Throughout Sunnydale, those who were visited by Sineya woke up from their shock. They knew they would have to discuss this in full with the rest of the group.

The next day...

As everyone gathered in the Magic Box, including Angel, Spike, Drusilla, Oz and Veruca, the warriors and the witches who were visited explained the dream they had all shared. No one understood why exactly Sineya felt the need to visit them as they had done nothing to invite her anger. Giles had initially figured that simply helping Buffy, with Kendra following, and finally Faith had been reason enough. However, Xander had reasoned that if that alone angered her, she would've come to them when Xander and Willow first started helping Buffy. The watchers and the Halliwells theorized that someone above had sent Sineya maybe as a warning. Whatever it was, they all figured they could worry later.

Early September, 2000

Sunnydale Beach

The young adults of the Scooby gang had decided to have a day at the beach to start off the new semester. Xander himself was particularly happy as he had gained a job working for a construction company in Sunnydale. Faith had told him not to worry about a job hunt as the Mayor's wealth not only kept them afloat, but the wealth kept growing as Faith herself had decided they could invest in the magic shop and at least have extra money. While most guys would feel intimidated or emasculated, Xander felt the opposite. He was proud of his girlfriend for having thought of the idea. He himself had taken the construction job so that he would feel like a useful member of society, despite his addition to slaying. Faith supported his new venture as she thought about working at the Magic Box. Everyone turned their attention to the kindle of wood being used to make a fire, which Jonathan was having trouble lighting manually.

"Hey Jon, where's the burgers? I'm starvin' here," Faith said sitting by the kindling with Xander joining her. Everyone else moved around the setup as they waited.

"Sorry guys. The wind and fire aren't exactly cooperating with me today. It's comforting to know that despite my culinary finesse of a caveman, nature just loves screwing with me. Lucky I can do this: _Ignis incende_", Jonathan said. The next second the fire roared to life. Amy smiled at Jonathan as he had shown that he'd come a long way since the incident with Angelus.

"Nice work Jonathan!" Buffy praised her friend.

"Thanks. Just have to balance out the elements. That way you don't get something like-" a crack of thunder cut him off as a storm quickly rolled in faster than anyone could've guessed as they scrambled towards the cars. Xander looked back and became worried.

"Xand! Come on!" Faith shouted. As they two entered the car, Xander looked at Faith and thought for a second to form his words.

"That storm wasn't natural," he said causing Faith to looked confused.

"It came in too quickly, and looked like it was already formed and it was practically instant. Something is wrong," Xander said as he drove himself along with his girlfriend away from the beach.

Later that evening...

Magic Box

"Xander, why exactly do you reason to believe that something or someone is coming? Storms have long been considered irrelevant to the coming of a powerful force," Giles said with all of the group assembled.

"Well, that's how it was. But now we know for sure that everything we've been told wasn't exactly the entire truth. What if a powerful fallen angel is out there? Besides, a place like this a storm that big happens every so often. Just what I felt was...off," Xander explained to his older compatriot. The shop bell rang as someone else came in. Everyone took note of Oz and Veruca as well as Gunn and Alana.

"Hey y'all. What's crackin'? Did we miss an apocalypse?" Gunn asked as he saw everyone with a serious look.

"It seems Xander has picked up a rather odd disturbance," Diana answered to the young man.

"How bad could it be?" Alana asked.

"In Sunnydale, you never ask that question," Kendra said, as the bell rang again. A beautiful, slightly older woman in her early twenties, with blonde hair walked into the shop, as she took note of the group assembled. As Xander looked at everyone, he noticed Angel seemed particularly awestruck, as he had the same look that he gave Buffy. The woman was followed by a caramel skinned man who looked to be in his mid to late thirties, with a short haircut and a goatee connected to his mustache. Xander looked back to the group and saw the Halliwell's except Paige stare in astonishment at the man.

"Hello, I'm looking for Rupert Giles," the woman said to the group. Giles timidly raised his hand as he wasn't sure what was going to happen. The woman showed a police badge.

"Detective Kate Lockley," she said sternly. The man showed his own badge as well.

"Detective Darryl Morris. Prue? Piper? Phoebe? Whose the other one?" the detective said as he didn't recognize the fourth sister.

"This is Paige. Darryl what are you doing here?" Prue asked as she hadn't seen her friend in months.

"Kate and I had transferred here in July. San Fran's been...quiet since you've moved. Never thought I'd find you here," Darryl said smiling. He wasn't sure if anyone in the group knew the sister's crazy history as there were a number of cases unsolved.

"I seemed to have gone through the same thing. I was stationed in LA before I was transferred here. For some reason, the whole city has been...better. I checked with some contacts and apparently after a young man's arrival, the city's crime-rate has gone down to almost zero. According to Morris, same thing happened a week before. We're looking for someone who is about five foot, nine, dark hair, and oddly enough, looks like Bruce Campbell," Kate said looking determinedly at Xander. Everyone turned to look at Xander in confusion at the description. Then clarity became etched to their faces seeing the resemblance.

"Thanks guys. Good looking out," Xander said sarcastically.

"So you're the guy? Can you tell us what exactly happened after your stays in our cities?" Darryl asked, curious about the young man. Before Xander could reply, a flash of light came into the shop, and revealed Leo.

"What the hell?!" Kate shouted as she drew her gun.

"WHOA! Calm down. I'm unarmed," Leo said, knowing he could handle the female detective but would rather not get into a scuffle.

"What the hell are you?" Darryl asked as he was more skeptical than scared.

"He's a whitelighter. He's our guardian," Piper answered.

"Maybe someone can explain things?" Kate asked as she holstered her gun. The two moved to the group and listened attentively as everyone in the group listened intently to the explanations from the Scooby gang as well as the Halliwells. For their part, Darryl and Kate were surprised and scared, particularly of the vampires in their presence. However, it seemed they still needed some convincing. So the young warriors of the group offered to take them on a regular patrol.

Restfield Cemetery

As Xander, Jesse, the slayers and detectives strolled through the resting place, the detectives explained why they had come to them. They were called to investigate a murder that happened earlier in the day as two movers were found dead at an old castle. The odd thing was that one was slashed in his neck while the other seemed to have been clawed. What got their attention was the mention of two puncture wounds on the second victim. They hoped to find the culprit. The slayers sensed a newly risen vampire and moved to take care of him. Xander, Jesse and the detectives followed and the newcomers were awed as Faith handled the undead creature as if it were too easy. Xander and Jesse's soon ran wild as they felt something powerful in the area. As they turned around, a pale man with long dark hair to his shoulders, wearing a cloak that covered his body, was strolling towards him.

"Hey Xander, check it out. Someone's got a case of 'dark prince' envy," Jesse said chuckling to himself. Xander looked at his old friend strangely, wanting to laugh but felt something was wrong.

"Hm mm mm. You are quite the jester. Yet you are also full of strength," the intruder said with what sounded like a bad Romanian accent. The three slayers soon joined the rest who were in shock at what they were seeing.

"Who is this guy?" Faith asked. Dracula's eyes opened a little wider.

"Ah. My apologies. I am Dracula," the man responded trying to impress them in some way. The group straightened up slightly as they heard the statement. The fighters suddenly burst into laughter at what they were seeing and hearing.

"Sorry dude. But we've fought too many vamps calling themselves Lestat to really take you seriously. Now unless you got something to back up your claims, you're going down," Faith said. The dark-haired slayer pulled out a stake and slowly approached the vampire. She tried shoving the stake in his heart, only for the man (if he was one) to vanish in a cloud of mist and reappear behind her. Faith tried again and was met with the same result.

"Do you really think you are a match for me?" Dracula said, almost laughing to himself.

"She may not be. But I am more than you could ever hope to be," came a deep voice from nowhere. This voice seemed to have a bit of a Scottish accent but was much more serious and lacked any bravado. Suddenly, a cloud of grey smoke with orbs of red energy appeared. When it dissipated, a man as tall as Dracula, with only slightly pale skin and long dark brown hair, with a goatee connecting his mustache stood between the group and the vampire. What made this man's appearance odd was the red medieval, European armor, along with gauntlets and greaves that he was wearing. This man was, admittedly to Xander and Jesse, much more dangerous than the supposed king of vampires they were facing down. What was stranger was that Dracula's face had been stricken with fear that none of them had seen on their enemies.

"G-G-Gabriel!" Dracula stuttered out trying not to cower.

"So you're causing trouble again? Even after I dealt with you last time? You're either that arrogant or horribly foolish," the man now known as Gabriel spat. Before anything else could be done, Dracula burst into a flock of bats that flew off. Gabriel looked at the small group and smiled showing his fangs.

"I'm sorry for interrupting. I've had a run-in with him four centuries ago. He's still so impetuous. Where are my manners? I am Gabriel Belmont. As you've seen I am a vampire," Gabriel introduced without so much as fear or even arrogance or a threatening manner. This threw all of the veteran Sunnydale citizens.

"Any reason Drac was so scared of you?" Jesse asked as he had knowledge of who Gabriel was, but decided to let the others hear the story from the man himself.

"I'm stronger he is. And older. Take me back to your group and I shall explain my being here," Gabriel said. Xander looked at the others, who shrugged.

"Follow us," Xander said tiredly.

Magic Box

The group exploded with noise as everyone heard the story that Gabriel had told to the entire group. His story dated back as far back as the eleventh century, when he was called by his organization, the Brotherhood of Light, to find a way to unite a heavenly artifact that was supposed to save the world. The founders of the brotherhood had transcended their earthly existence and became higher beings but left behind the darkness that grew alongside the light in their souls. Gabriel had believed that the founders were dead, but Jesse had seen them during his time in Heaven. He wondered why on earth the Lords of Shadow would've lied to the man, if not just to shake his faith further. Even more disturbing was the son that Gabriel had not seen in centuries. No one was sure of what to expect from the newcomer who was unlike any vampire they had ever come across. But they hoped that if anything went wrong, they could take care of it.

"Well, this has been one...oh bugger all. This is the craziest damned thing that could possibly happen. We've got the one guy who could've killed the Master, Kakistos, and probably Dracs himself! How are we not offing ourselves right now?!" Spike shouted.

"Maybe, William, it's because they've actually learned how to handle themselves. I'm surprised they haven't off you already. But I suppose you've made yourself useful. But I suppose the minute that stops, you yourself are no longer necessary. So I'll make this clear: if you do anything to betray this group, you'll deal with me," Gabriel said as his eyes glowed red. Spike backed off and nodded not wanting to risk his life unnecessarily.

"Perhaps we should leave this matter for now and return to it tomorrow, if possible," Zabuto said.

"Hold on. You. You are of the Kalderash clan," Gabriel said, pointing to Jenny. Jenny seemed stunned at first.

"Yes. Why?" Jenny asked the vampire.

"I sense the traces of light and shadow energy. Then you have receive my gifts," Gabriel said shocking Jenny and the rest, except for Faith and Xander.

"Jenny, what's he talking about?" Prue asked.

"I received a package not too long ago that contained two medallions and blue and red gems. The brotherhood that Gabriel fought for had used these two magics to fight evil," Jenny began explaining.

"What's really the difference between these magics and those we know now?" Kendra asked. It seemed as though every time she was beginning to understand everything, she was taken back two steps.

"Not much. However, light and shadow magics have been the basis for a number of various magics across the world. Light and Shadow. White and Black. Yin and Yang. Protection and Destruction. Order and Chaos. The magics start out as a simple enhancement. But over time, humanity learned how to delve deeper. The light magics were originally those blessed by God to heal others. The shadow magics were from the darkness of hell. The driving force behind both is intent. And in some cases, there are those capable of using both. Mr. McNally is one such person. And now Ms. Kalderash is well on her way, and learning quite fast," Gabriel said smiling at the technopagan.

"Why are you here now?" Riley asked, having been quiet the whole time, as well as Graham and Forrest.

"I wasn't told much. But what I can say is that Sachiel, the one who helped Jesse return had seen something at this point in time that led him to believe that I was needed. I don't know what else there is. But I'm willing to do whatever I can to help you all," Gabriel said. Everyone was in awe at Gabriel's declaration. Even Xander who had believed all vampires were evil. Drusilla stepped forward with something on her mind.

"If it is for my brave Lion and his friends, I am at your command," the vampiress said, on bended knee and her head bowed. Everyone looked on with wide eyes at Drusilla's behavior and looked at Xander, who turned red and looked away. Faith couldn't help but to smile and laugh as the situations her boyfriend found himself in were just too ridiculous. The bell to the shop rang out one more time and everyone huffed as they've had enough visitors for one day. Everyone looked to the door and saw a girl who looked close to the age of the young adults in the Scooby gang. The visiting young lady had long dark hair, slightly tanned skinned, and for the males who couldn't comment, a body that was curvacious and blessed with assets that would make most women jealous. However, as everyone got a good look at her, they noticed a strange and slight resemblance to Xander's girlfriend. Everyone whose senses were highly attuned past human means saw that she had two strange auras. One was blue while the other was purple. Despite the separate auras, the two seemed to intertwine with each other which had put everyone who could see off.

"Hi. I'm looking for Faith Lehane," the young girl said calmly yet confidently.

"You found her. So who are you?" Faith nearly shot back.

"My name...is Luna. Luna Lehane. Your sister."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Don't own. Do not sue.

Author's note: So for anyone reading my other story, Lords of Shadow: Sunnydale, you can understand my reasoning for including Gabriel Belmont. I've gotten the idea to include different fighters of organizations and recruitment in the fight against evil because it was always left up to one person, usually someone with more than adept skill or someone who had help that needed their ego knocked down a few pegs. When you bring in different universes that all have the same form of mythology, you start to see the rules change and suddenly, it's not just one person or one small group but what could potentially lead to an army of crusaders. The biggest issues with raising an army of slayers was that Twilight capitalized on it, which in all honesty, his plan seemed heavily flawed in trying to manipulate the two people who have defied fate for one reason or another. He'd have stood a better chance of possessing both Angel and Buffy. Anyway, I found a way to fit him in but he won't show up in this story. Also, you've all seen that Faith has a sister, so you know what's coming. But it won't end like the show. If you're curious as to an accurate depiction of Luna, google Liz Gillies. Also, there's a real world item that I'm throwing in that I will give certain properties, which I won't reveal till the next story. Now read and review.

The Magic Box grew quiet as the most recent arrival had broken the news that she had a blood relation to the dark-haired slayer. Faith thought for a second about which of her parents would have been responsible for the younger girl's existence. She immediately concluded that her mother was not responsible as Faith was an only child when her mother was alive. She was faced with having to learn about the fate of her father, which she had hoped she would never have to find out.

"So how is dear old dad?" Faith asked.

"Last I heard, he was fresh out. That was about three years ago. But I never had much contact with him. My mom thought it best never to go near and thank goodness I never did. I heard about what happened to your mom. The guy who I talked to before heading here told me a lot about you and what you accomplished before you left Boston. I'm surprised you were able to take on a master vampire and live," Luna said making everyone look at her in shock.

"Um...how do you know about vampires?" Giles spoke up.

"That's part of why I'm here. When I was fourteen, I was attacked by this guy with a weird face; his forehead had ridges and all of his teeth were lengthened and sharpened. I remember he sped up to me and knocked a good distance from him. When he got close, I had never felt so scared in my life. The next thing I know this blue with a trace of a purple aura shots out of me and the vamp dusted. I told my mom and step-dad about it and showed them. My step-father had actually had a run-in with a number of vamps and demons and he taught me how to fight. It wasn't until I visited dad that I found out about you being my sister and you being a slayer. How he found out, I didn't want to know. When I heard you left, I managed to trace you here using this ability to sense traces of a person's aura; one of the abilities that comes along with my powers," Luna finished explaining. Xander stepped forward as there was one question he had on his mind.

"Luna, this guy who gave you the info, what did he look like?" the young man asked.

"Well, he looked like a badly dressed pimp in New York. And he had a fedora. But his aura wasn't like any other person's. It felt...clean," Luna answered. Xander nodded as Luna's response had confirmed his suspicions about the being who had acted as his guardian and mentor.

"Well, Luna, we're sorry you had to walk in one this erm...circus. We've had two visitors before you, one of which we can tolerate, and the other was scared off by our other guest here, Gabriel Belmont. Apparently Dracula is scared of Sir Belmont," Diana explained to Faith's sister. Luna's eyes widened at hearing the mention of Dracula. She filed that bit of information away for another time.

"It's alright. With what I heard about this town, I'm bound to run into something crazy or hear worse. Well, I'm going to go and book a room," Luna said before Faith moved towards the younger girl and gently grabbing her hand.

"Don't even think about it. You can stay with one of us," Faith said looking at Diana, who smiled in return, knowing exactly what her surrogate daughter had in mind.

"You can stay with me. Faith had moved out months ago, and is living wonderfully with her boyfriend," Diana smiled. Luna looked at Faith who blushed after she looked at Xander, who sported a goofy grin at Diana's admission.

"If they came as cute as him, I'd have been here sooner," Luna said smirking at Xander, who looked away wanting to avoid an all-too-soon sisterly confrontation.

"Not on your life girl. Come on. I'll help get your stuff," Faith said as everyone began clearing out of the shop.

Dormer Residence

Luna continued unpacking her things after arriving at the home of her sister's watcher. She still couldn't believe that she had a sister, let alone Faith being the slayer.. She had wondered how her life had gotten to this point. She remembered how she had come into half of her powers long after she had reached puberty. The vampire in question had been around for about seventy decades and when he backhanded her into the alley she was passing, she found that he was stronger than any human should be. It wasn't until the guy's face had changed into something monstrous that she felt true fear. However, she braced herself and pushed past her fear, ready to go down fighting, when her body crackled with blue energy. She had beaten the vampire to a pulp before ripping his head off with strength that a girl her size would not possess. When Whistler had appeared to her, he explained her powers, her sister, and pointed her in the right direction. Now she found herself settling in a small town where just about any and everything could go wrong. But seeing the Scooby gang, she could see why they had stayed alive.

"Luna? You all settled?" Diana asked, as the young lady was putting away the last of her clothing.

"Yes, Ms. Dormer. Thanks for letting me stay here," Luna thanked.

"Think nothing of it dear. You're Faith's sister. I'd feel like I was neglecting my own child," the female watcher replied.

"About that...I was wondering if you could tell me more about Faith? I neverr eally knew much about her," Luna asked. Diana looked at her charge's younger sibling. The female watcher took a breath as she thought about how to best approach the subject.

"Faith's life has a number of complications that's a laundry list long. And that's just what I've known when I met her. It seems she was deeply involved with the supernatural even before she and I were acquainted. She was briefly linked to the spirit of a former slayer and her daughter, who were defeated by Kakistos. It seems that's part of why he took such an active interest in her. When Faith and I had escaped his clutches, it seemed that Artemia, the slayer, had briefly possessed Faith, but after she had received visions. But in between that, Faith had been more alone than anyone I ever knew. Your father was arrested, and Faith presumed him dead, while her mother was forced into prostitution. After an incident, Faith was taken into foster care, where she would meet an individual capable of creating what we know as tulpas, physical manifestations of his own thoughts. It seems her mind had cemented that every man in her life would only let her down. After she became a teenager, she had gone from man to man, using them and making them think they were using her. It wasn't until we both came here and we met the group, except the Charmed Ones, that Faith's heart had softened and she and Xander had found each other. And during our time here, as she grew attached to Xander, we learned that this fight was much bigger than any of us would've imagined. And it all started with the interference of a guardian, and the brave actions of Faith's boyfriend," Diana explained. Luna listened and was heartbroken for her sister yet amazed at her strength. But there was one other thing she was curious about.

"What about Xander? What's he like?" Luna asked further. She noted the smile that graced Diana's face as she thought about the young man who held the heart of her surrogate daughter.

"Of every man Faith and I have ever come across, he is the most...interesting one that either one of us have ever met. When I first read Rupert's reports on Buffy, all signs indicated that Xander was a joker, who would actually have been of great use for the group with everything they experienced up to his change. Afterward, when Xander gained his power, his personality shifted greatly. He was still the same young man who had courage and honor, as well as loyalty. But he had become something of a hardened warrior, which I had seen firsthand when he killed Kakistos. It seemed that he and Faith were like kindred spirits as they both had been at points where they felt all they could rely on were their own actions. However, they each still had someone to be there for them. I dread to think what would happen if Xander had not come into his power or if I had died before we fled to this town," Diana said.

"And Xander's power? What is it?" Luna added. She hadn't said yet, but she could feel an odd connection to Xander when she looked at him. She saw the blue-green aura that was radiating off of him. She was almost sure he could see her's with the look he had given her upon her arrival.

"It's rather interesting. Xander, much like yourself, is a rather unique individual. Normally, anyone calling on energy as he does would have to have been an experienced magic user. But according to Tara, a fellow magic user, with great experience, he's what's called a psion. It seems that he isn't just drawing energy from the physical world around him. He generates the energy that he unleashes, either with energy bolts, increasing his physical strength, or even manipulating the environment around him. In short, aside from a heavily experienced witch or warlock, which despite the magic users in our group, he is easily the most powerful member of our group. And with your arrival, you and he are practically in the same camp," Diana explained.

"That explains him. I guess maybe I could do whatever he could if I learned. I had researched psychic abilities but there was something I found interesting. There's abilities like mine, but then there's others like medium-ship and telepathy. What do you make of that?" Luna inquired.

"When it comes to the abilities of humans gaining those powers, they open up to the world around them, making them in tune to things that otherwise are beyond normal reach. In the case of you and Xander, your energy manipulation is an aspect of manipulating the physical world around you as well as manipulating the energy within your own physical being. Abilities such as telepathy are focused on the mental aspects, which in turns means your brainwaves interact with another's allowing you to see into their innermost thought and feelings, which are kept concealed. As for medium-ship, that delves into the metaphysical, which is the most dangerous of psychic abilities," Diana said with her expression growing grim.

"Why is that?" Luna wondered. Faith's story of being linked to a person's spirit seems to have saved her and Diana but there was something about it that sounded dangerous.

"There's a reason why no one should ever delve into the spiritual realm except to send the spirits of the departed to the afterlife. Interfering with the spirit world, unless they come to you can have consequences. If you've ever heard the story of Dante's Inferno, you can understand why it's dangerous. There's always the possibility that crossing over, while alive, can leave you trapped there. It's also why spells such as a soul curse for a vampire are considered the darkest of magics. Ripping a soul from the afterlife is as bad as mind control. So there you have it," Diana finished explaining.

"Wow. You guys lead some complicated lives," Luna surmised.

"Yes, well...don't we all. At any rate, you seem to have a degree of control over your abilities. Perhaps you can train with Xander and he can show you how to manipulate energy the way he does," Diana suggested.

"I think I'd like that. Although I should be careful I don't put the moves on him. No matter how cute he is," Luna grinned, thinking of the time she'd spend with Xander.

Mid October, 2000

Sunnydale Woods

The entire group watched as Xander and Luna pushed each other past their limits. For a month, the group had been training in hand-to-hand combat as well as magic and the abilities possessed by Faith's boyfriend and sister. Everyone was amazed at how strong and resourceful that the two proved to be. Xander had taught Luna how to manipulate her energy to pull off energy blasts and even energy shields. Luna, for her part, taught Xander how to manipulate energy to greatly enhance his strength while being able to keep said strength. Except for Tara and Diana, everyone was surprised at how well they were able to control themselves as well as the extent that they used their abilities. Tara and Diana had explained the three aspects of psionic abilities. The fight came to an end as Xander and Luna collided with their respective fists making contact, which were infused in energy. The collision caused a rumble in the woods as the power reverberated.

"Good lord!" Giles and Zabuto exclaimed as they were knocked off their feet. The two took off their glasses and cleaned them with fervor.

"Indeed. As strong as you both are, it's a wonder anything stronger hasn't shown up," Diana threw in.

"Hey!" the three slayers yelled in mock outrage. While they were happy to help their friends in any way, no one knew that they still felt slightly envious as the most they could use was super strength, which compared to everyone else paled.

"Sorry girls. At any rate, it seems we can all only get stronger. So I suppose that wraps up this session," Giles said to everyone. The group began leaving to get a night's rest. Faith approached her boyfriend as he was talking with her sister.

"That was awesome Xan. You really know your stuff," Luna said smiling almost stupidly like a schoolgirl. Faith had noticed how much her sister had enjoyed being around Xander. She wasn't quite sure what to feel about the development. On the one hand, she was glad that her sister had at least a reliable male in her life, as she had. However, she also felt a bit jealous as she had to share her boyfriend with another woman. However, as she looked at Xander, she could see that he saw Luna as a little sister that he treated equally as he did with the rest of the gang.

"You kidding? I was nowhere near as creative as you were when I got my powers. You're pretty good. Hey babe, what's up?" Xander asked as he took in Faith's presence.

"Nothing. What do you want to do tonight?" the dark-haired slayer asked.

"Well, how bout the three of us have a night of movies and junk food?" Xander asked as he placed an arm around his girlfriend and her sister. The two siblings looked to each other and smiled then walked away to the couple's apartment.

Two weeks later...

Late October, 2000

Magic Box

The group, including Joyce, congregated in the shop as another nightly patrol turned up strangely empty. Xander, Luna, and the slayers had gone to Willy's who informed them that the demons have been going into hiding more than usual as of the last week. The group knew that the only time the demons would ever do this would be when the power vacuum was filled with a new big bad. The group was discussing what was to take place as not even Adam had this big an effect before he was even activated. However, the fact that demonic activity was practically non-existent was new for everyone.

"So what do you this means?" Joyce asked. She was just as worried about this new development as everyone else was. However, she didn't know what to make as it sounded like this new threat could likely do more than just handle the gang.

"This is a tough call, Joyce. My sister's and I have only had our powers going on two years now, except Paige who had her's for just one," Prue replied to the older matriarch.

"She's right. We're in deeper than we thought we could be. Even with how powerful you all are, it sounds like we might be in over our heads," Cordelia threw in. She was grateful for the training from the watchers and the limited training in magic. But she still felt small compared to the rest of the group. Xander looked at his ex-girlfriend and immediately felt bad for her. He had at one time felt the same way she did before he met Whistler.

"Hey don't worry about it, Cor. We all look out for each other. We're a team," Xander said smiling at her, which she gladly returned.

"Besides, you're going to need as much knowledge as you can before you just go out there, and get yourselves killed," said a voice familiar to Xander and Willow. Everyone turned to see a lovely brunette with hair just above her shoulders, in an elegant dress. Xander was still processing her presence until he realized he had to say something.

"Anya?" he asked, still not believing the sight before him.

"Xander. It's wonderful to see you again. I heard you survived the ordeal with the mayor. Maybe now, I have a chance..." Anya trailed off as she began playing with her hair and smiled somewhat seductively at Xander. She had approached him slowly, but was stopped by Faith standing in front of her boyfriend.

"Who the hell are you?" Faith asked, ready to throw down with the newcomer.

"Faith. This is Anya. Or as she's better known, Anyanka," Xander explained to his girlfriend.

"Dear lord!" Diana gasped, knowing full well the person standing in front of them.

"Someone wanna give some back story here?" Faith sighed, as the antics became all too routine every time something like this happened.

"She's a vengeance demon. One with a very old life. Or she was until I destroyed her power center," Xander said casually.

"I still couldn't believe you let me live afterward. I've never known a man to be so noble despite me being summoned to harm him," Anya explained, only to receive an explosive response form the group.

"What the hell did my man ever do to you?!" Faith lashed out.

"Actually, it's not so much what Xander did to her, so much as I felt at the time," Willow answered timidly. Everyone turned to her confused, except Anya. The redheaded Wiccan explained the kiss she gave to Xander, which he had rejected, and how Willow's feelings had reached out to Anya, unaware that she was a vengeance demon. Everyone else only briefly felt odd about the situation. Oz, however, felt a bit put off by the story. He immediately wanted to say something. However, the rational side of him knew that while Willow's feelings for him were genuine, he had remembered that he had gotten together with her while she still had feelings for her old friend..

"Okay. So why are you back?" Faith asked further. She had a feeling she wouldn't like the answer.

"Well, I originally came back to see if I could get over Xander, by copulating. But now I have to find some other way. And also, I've been hearing some things from the demon community," Anya answered truthfully, if not a bit bluntly.

"Well, don't leave us feeling all dramatic! What were they saying?!" Buffy piped up for the first time.

"Well, something old and powerful is coming here. Something strong enough to make a few of the Old Ones cower in fear. None of the half-breeds seem to know what exactly it is," Anya answered, confirming Faith's thoughts on the matter.

"What in the world would possibly make fallen angels cower in fear? If they were ever set free, they could likely wipe us out. So why cower over another one?" Kendra asked. Luna herself was curious about the matter as she was taught the mythology and was marveled, not only by what she learned but how big of a lie the council and the Powers had made everything out to be.

"The better question is just how strong is this one? I mean we don't know just what kind of angels actually fell to earth. All we know for sure is that supposedly a third were taken to earth along with Lucifer. You've got nine different orders alone. Seraphim sitting high at the top, Cherubim just below them, and Ophanim right under. And those guys are just the creatures. Then you divide them up into Dominions, the supervisors; virtues who are like politicians; then there's the Powers who are like military but not like the powers we know. Come to think of it, what's up with that? Anyway, finally, you have the rank, with Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. For all we know, we might be dealing with an archangel. But let's hope not," Jonathan explained, leaving the whole group shocked at the explanation.

"We'll have to tread carefully from now on. If this new threat should ever come here, we run at all costs until we regroup," Zabuto suggested.

"Well, if nothing else, I suppose we should leave quickly, so as not to attract any attention," Gabriel said as he took in everything he had heard. He remembered everything he was taught about the angels and thought back to his fight with the first of the fallen. He had felt firsthand just how hard it was to fight a fallen archangel. And he knew that the Adversary was not at full power, as he would've easily decimated him as a human. He figured that with the power of the Forgotten One, he himself would stand a greater chance. However, despite the group's abilities, he knew for sure that they wouldn't stand too great a chance and would need a serious advantage.

"Er...Sir Belmont," Giles called out to the living vampire.

"Please Giles. Just Gabriel will do," the much older man said as he smiled.

"R-right, Gabriel. Is there anywhere that we could find you if need be?" Giles asked.

"I'll be in the mansion adjacent to the Halliwells. However, I won't be in my home tonight. I must take care of something before we engage this new enemy," Gabriel said before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Xander and Faith's Apartment

"So what do you guys guys think?" Luna asked. Her sister and crush looked at her before they contemplated everything that was discussed.

"Couldn't tell ya girl. I mean we faced this three-headed guard the last time the hellmouth was open. But for this to just show up here says a lot," Faith answered as she thought about the fact that the hellmouth had been closed since senior year.

"She's right. Whoever we're facing this time around must've already been here, unless they found some other way to get here. We already know that there's another hellmouth that isn't active in Cleveland. But then for the vampires that rise every night, there's always the possibility that they had to have come through some kind of way. Which means, we've still been screwed even from the start," Xander added on, not liking this anymore than he already did.

"Well whatever happens, I know you guys can pull through. I'd like to be there to help where I can," Luna said.

"Wouldn't have it any other way sis," Faith said, wrapping an arm around her younger sister.

Hyperion Hotel

Los Angeles, California

Gabriel appeared inside the lavish hotel in the usual cloud of smoke. He had hoped he wasn't too late to ask for the help that he felt would be needed sooner or later. As he looked around the hotel, he felt residual traces of a low-level half-breed demon that remained. However, the demon itself appeared to be gone as there were no other signs of it being around. Before he could ruminate further on his surroundings, he felt another presence approach. Gabriel turned around and smiled. Before him stood a man in black combat boots, black pants, and a black long-sleeved shirt underneath a black short-sleeved shirt. However, this man's appearance was even stranger as he had skin just as pale as Gabriel's and had long silver-white hair. And blood red eyes.

"I was wondering when we'd see each other again," the spoke up with a ghost of a smirk on his face.

"It has been a while since we last met. Though I'm surprised you aren't ready to rip a new on in me like last time," Gabriel said laughing.

"I've learned my lesson. Besides, I've gotten stronger while you were sleeping, Father,"the man said to Gabriel.

"Aye. That you have Trevor," Gabriel said to his son.

"Please. Don't call me that. I prefer Alucard now," the son said.

"Alright Alucard. What have you done here?" Gabriel inquired.

"I've helped the helpless in this so-called City of Angels. I've helped many including a woman, a waitress, who had an abusive relationship with a demonic vampire, as well a telekinetic girl who was sexually abused by her own father and a runaway who was enslaved by a demon. Many of others came to me for help, only after getting over my shocking appearance. Of course, the three girls came back after they had even stranger experiences. The waitress, Tina, had experienced visions about those whom I could offer my help. Meanwhile the second girl, Bethany, has had her powers growing stronger by the day. As for the third, Joan, or Lily as she had chosen to go by, she seemed to be taking on traits similar to a slayer but stronger. I was able to help them and even taught them how to defend themselves, with the knowledge we learned from the brotherhood. There was one more who I rescued from Pylea, a hell dimension. Physically she was fine. But her psyche had been damaged. Luckily, I was able to treat her and she was back to her former self within months. And I destroyed the political structure of that dimension just by killing the so-called priests, who are working for the Wolf, Ram, and Hart. Their influence is widespread. But even then, they're the least of our problems. I've seen what is coming our way. You told me that Zobek informed you of his acolytes preparing the way. Seems you weren't wrong. But the one he sends now, she's just fodder for the real battle," Alucard said.

"You're right. That's why I've come to ask for a favor," Gabriel said to his son.

"I'm listening," came the short reply.

"There is an item that holds unbelievable power. It was said to be cursed, but it is a lie. If given to the right human with power, then those I am helping will stand a chance against her. The Old Ones may have lost their purchase on this reality, but they still hold significant power. Which is why I ask then when you find this item, you find it's source and make duplicates," Gabriel explained.

"Just how bad can this situation become, Father?" Alucard asked as he didn't like the sound of this request.

"Sachiel has shown me the consequences of his interference. The original fate of this world was...not as well off. But this world will see darkness come full force should we keep succeeding. You must hurry. Time is of the essence," Gabriel said. Alucard nodded and disappeared in a purple mist, while Gabriel vanished in hi usual method.

Washington, D.C.

Smithsonian Museum

It was late as a security watched the monitors, bored out of his mind. No one ever dared to attempt to rob the museum. His train of thought was cut short as he saw a man with long white hair enter the room containing a valued treasure to the museum. The man smashed the case open and took the jewel before vanishing in a purple mist. The guard sounded the alarm, alerting the police and any other law enforcement official.

As Alucard reappeared in the large clearing separating the two museums in the city, he looked back as police scrambled to catch him, but would discover him long gone.

"I pray that you are right Father."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

Author's note: So I might have jumped the gun when I said the real-world item wouldn't make an appearance in this story. But I won't reveal what it is just yet. However, you can likely look up what all is at the actual museum and guess the item that Trevor had stolen. Now you all know the big bad that's coming to this and I want to address something I've mentioned in the previous story. Glory is a hell goddess, as in from hell, nowhere else? How does that work? Unless she's an old god that fell, then I could understand, but Whedon never made that distinction. But then her strength and power is like that of an Old One. This would lead me to think she is just another Old One. Not to mention, if the Powers came first, then where did she fit in? She didn't create the Old Ones. She had to climb her way up to attain the power she did get before she was cast out to earth. This is something Whedon should've expanded upon. At any rate, if it's hard to believe she's a fallen angel, just look at the theory I posed in previous chapters. And review if you're curious as to how and why I'm doing so.

Early February, 2001

Magic Box

Sunnydale, California

Xander and Luna trained to hone their fighting skills in the back room of the shop. The last three months had proven to be almost overwhelming for the entire Scooby gang. Almost every day, there was a new attack from a different enemy, from the half breed demons that the hellmouth attracted to the devils of the underworld that the Charmed Ones had dealt with before there integration into the gang. Along with that was some of the tension that seemed to be forming between Oz, Willow, and Anya. It had become apparent to everyone that the ex-vengeance demon and the male werewolf had been bonding and were affectionately close. Willow couldn't help but feel jealous as she had lost two men she loved to other women as it was. Willow had almost considered giving up on men until Jesse had come back into their lives. He been a stable rock for Willow and helped her to further her teachings in magic, thanks to his own abilities that Sachiel and Gabriel had used. However, this new development caused her to instantly revert to base instincts and Jesse had to keep her going off the rails.

Add to that, the presence of a dark, mighty power had made it's way into town and the Scoobies found themselves dealing with various townsfolk with mental instabilities, which quickly filled up the mental ward at Sunnydale General. To top it off was the appearance of the big bad that had many of the half-breed demons hiding out of fear. Xander, Jesse, and Luna were the only ones to have been left standing in their initial encounter with Glory when she appeared. However, a big part of it was because of three factors: the first was the energy that empowered them physically; the second was that with their combined strengths, fighting Glory would've been like fighting the Judge at his full strength; finally, there was the fact that they all sensed that she wasn't fighting at full power. With the combined power of the spellcasters, Glory was teleported away, somewhere outside of the town.

Fortunately, not everything on the hellmouth was met with bad news. Joyce Summers had been afflicted with a tumor since Glory's arrival. Luckily, Jesse and Gabriel had used their abilities with Light magic to removed and heal the tumor without further complication. The Summers matriarch was ecstatic about the news as now she would be able to see her only daughter grow into the great woman she hoped to be. Sam Zabuto had proposed to Diana and she happily accepted, with Faith being her Maid of honor, and Giles being the best man. Meanwhile, Giles and Joyce had been getting closer, which had initially annoyed Buffy until Riley talked to her. Unfortunately, everything was still not right within the group. Ever since Luna had fought Glory, she keep feeling like there was something familiar about her. She had everyone confirm she wasn't part fallen angel or a half-breed demon. However, that didn't shake the feeling that something about Glory made her feel connected. Before Luna could think further, Xander swept her from under her feet.

"Hey Lu, what's up? You've been off all day?" Xander asked, offering a hand to her. Luna took the hand and tried to smile away make up a lame excuse. But she felt tired with everything that was going on.

"It's everything. Plus the whole thing with Glory has got me...unnerved. I don't know why but she just..." Luna trailed off not sure how to phrase her thoughts correctly.

"Take your time," Xander said. Luna looked up at him and saw the concern and care in his eyes.

"Something about Glory just...isn't making me feel right. Ever since we fought, I've felt this weird feeling. It's like I should know her from somewhere and I don't entirely know why. When I got near her, power did something weird. I felt the energies of the hellmouth practically everywhere and it was like she was connected to it, and then it just felt like Hell itself was practically knocking on our door. I can feel it even now. I didn't know about this until then. I wish I knew what was going on," Luna explained. Xander looked on contemplative about Luna's words. He himself, as well as Jesse, the slayers, and the watchers and spellcasters had felt the powers of the hellmouth. But Luna's words have indicated that she's felt much more.

"What do you think is the reason? I mean no one else has felt as much as you have. Probably the only time we've ever felt it so actively was when we were at the library at the high school," Xander began.

"The library?" Luna asked, as she had not heard every story so far.

"Yeah. With everyone like us, the hellmouth is felt all over the town. But the energies converged at the center, which is where the library stands now. It's where this hellmouth spawn had popped up when we had to fight the Master," Xander explained further.

"Wait, Kakistos was already here before Faith showed up? Or is this a different vampire?" Luna asked.

"Oh. The vampire who drowned Buffy we only knew was named the Master. I think his original name was Joseph something. But we never went into great detail about it. The title of master vampire can belong to any vampire that's at least over one hundred years old. It seems like with any vampire from an Anne Rice novel, they start to get powers over time. The Master had these crazy ESP powers, and his disciple, the anointed had about the same, even though he was newly risen. From what Diana told me, Kakistos could track anyone who had his mark, which I think is how he tracked down her and your sister. Drusilla's abilities were something she had prior to her turning, and Spike and Angel, well I'm not sure. But it's a safe bet their's aren't so dangerous," Xander explained.

"Which reminds me, you've got three master vamps, plus what would be something close to Nosferatu working with you guys. Angel I can understand, but why Spike and Drusilla?" Luna asked.

"Well Gabriel still has his soul. He drank a powerful vampire's blood while he was still living and when he went into one of the dark planes of hell, he fought a powerful demon. This thing from what he's told me wasn't anything like an Old One. His power not only protected him, but it made him damn near invincible. The only way Gabriel could fight him was when the demon had to expel it's power to break the seals keeping it in that dimension. When Gabriel fought the Forgotten One, the demon didn't have it's full power, but it was still very strong. It was only when the seal was broken and it's powers were coming back that Gabriel had stolen them. With one attack it was destroyed. Gabriel himself is powerful, but he hasn't lost his humanity. Angel was cursed wit his soul. If there was a way for him to get it back willingly, then Angelus wouldn't do so. Drusilla...I don't know what the hell happened to her. But she's been odd, for her. As for Spike, he may be able to love, like Drusilla and any human. But Drusilla kicked his ass to the curb, so he has no reason to. The only reason Spike seems to help us is so he doesn't get staked. But I'll be ready for him if he does something stupid," Xander explained.

"Well, I got your back no matter what happens," Luna said smiling.

The two exited the backroom, finishing their training session, and back into the main room of the shop. As they came back to see most of the gang congregating, they heard a muffled voice and noticed radio on the table. They looked to the Halliwells, who looked back and pointed to the radio, which was a local news station in Sunnydale. The reporter had been covering various stories from nationwide news to even a few international ones. However, it was the next story that caused the group to turn and focus their attention to the device.

"And in other news, Sunnydale General has been overcrowded to capacity with more and more patients entering the mental ward by the day. Authorities are not issuing any statements about what may be the cause, but are saying that the hospitals are filling to capacity. Doctors, however, have theorized that an epidemic has hit the town, which is attacking the brain. They strongly urge everyone to take necessary precautions, such as washing your hands with soap and being careful with the kind of contact so as to avoid being at risk," the reporter said before going on to the next story.

"It has to be her. No demon we know is capable of doing this kind of thing," Prue suggested, catching everyone's attention.

"So what exactly are we dealing with here? The most I was told was something about psycho-bitch on the loose?" Gunn asked as he had been up to his own devices most of the time, as well as Alana.

"Well, the full details are that we're going up against what was originally thought to be a hell goddess. But thanks to a reliable source, is actually a fallen angel. A particularly powerful one at that," Zabuto said.

"But something's not right about this whole thing. When Xander, Jesse and Luna fought her, they went toe-to-toe. If she's as powerful as she's supposed to be, why are we still standing?" Buffy inquired.

"She's right. She should be able to do so much more than knock us around. Why wouldn't she just turn us to ash?" Paige asked. A cloud of smoke appeared revealing Gabriel in civilian clothing.

"I have an idea about that. Before my...transformation, I fought with the first of the Fallen. He was powerful. And while I could not kill him, I was able to re-imprison hell. It seems that being tied to this plane of existence has caused his power to be reduced. At full power, he would've annihilated me without so much as a thought. If he were to resurface, at my current power, he I would be bale to beat him with less effort, IF he was at the same level the first time we fought. At full power, I would likely be killed. My only guess is that Glory's power has been reduced enough to where a slayer would only have barely a chance to fight back. With our super-powered warriors, they've trained enough to where their strengths allow them to fight at Glory's level. With a little more advantage, they would likely be able to dominate her," Gabriel said with an odd smile.

"Er...exactly what kind of advantage are you speaking of?" Giles asked, slightly unnerved by the vampire's smile.

"Certain gems have been known to have supernatural affects in whoever owns them. There was one gem that was said to have been cursed by the owners. However, those rumors were false. I've seen the gem and felt it's power. The only misfortune is that it attracts those who seek power. I have a...friend seeking out more," Gabriel explained.

"While we got time, can you tell me about why Dracula was afraid of you? Everyone's been saying that you just show up and he turns tail faster than a dog scared of a lawnmower," Gunn said. Everyone looked to the millennium-old vampire. Gabriel simply laughed and looked at everyone.

"I was over five centuries when I encountered Vlad Tepes, after he had turned. He had conquered so many lands and people, that he was fairly depraved. However, he remained loyal to his people, including the Kalderash," he explained looking at Jenny.

"I've mentioned before that the magics I employ are the basis with which current magics stem from today. I had taught the Kalderash Light and Shadow magics, and it is from them that Vlad himself had learned his unique abilities. And the reason he was so afraid of me was because he knows that I'm capable of stripping away his powers and reducing to a common master vampire. It is a very difficult process to learn for many human magic users. For me, it's almost as simple as breathing," Gabriel explained. Everyone looked to each other and back to him. Gabriel only shrugged as he was very well used to these reactions.

"So where do we go from here? Would a surprise attack work on her?" Faith asked hoping to get this over with soon.

"On the one hand, there's every reason to. If she was as powerful as she should be, then she would've found us and been done with us already. That seems to be the only way that Whistler and Ariel have found us already. Her powers must have been severely limited if she hasn't done so. Xander, is it possible that either you, Luna, or Jesse can sense her presence?" Diana asked.

"If we can sense any trace energies of abilities she's used, it'll be easy," Jesse answered for his friend.

"I suppose we should get started straight away," Giles said as they formed plans on what to do should they find Glory.

Sunnydale General

Luna had entered into the hospital, not quite sure whether or not she would find Glory. She had noticed more incoming mental patients who had pointed at her shouting something about the energy inside her. She wasn't quite sure why, but she had a feeling that she would get her answer tonight. As she snuck into the room containing many of the current patients, they began speaking incoherently, staring at her. The most she had heard was 'the key', over and over. She wondered if this was common for mental patients to mutter about the same thing at the same time. However, the rational part of her mind answered no as mental patients she had heard of were not in sync like this. Before she could duck out of the room, she ran smack dab into a young man's chest. He was dressed in a male nurse's uniform, had tan skin, and had hair ironically like Xander's.

"Hi. Do you need assistance?" the man asked her.

"Uh...yeah, Mr. uh?" Luna trailed hoping to keep her cool.

"Call me Ben. I intern here. How can I help you?" Ben asked the younger woman.

"Oh uh...I'm actually new in town and I was looking for someone to speak to about volunteering. But I got lost," Luna lied as she started to feel that odd connection like with Glory.

"Sure. Follow me," Ben said, leading the way for her. As they talked, they traded stories about their lives and where they were now.

"Yeah. Living with my sister and hanging with our friends has been great. Faith is really great. I never imagined having a sister. But seeing her now, so strong despite everything she's been through, it's amazing," Luna said, reflecting happily of the time spent with the Scoobies.

"The slayer?" Ben whispered but Luna heard.

"You know what a slayer is? And who one of them is? How did you know that?" Luna asked as she became paranoid about this random human who should not know about the supernatural.

"Listen, you have to get out of here before she gets here!" Ben said as she started worrying about the enemy showing up.

"How do you know she's coming?" Luna asked as Ben began shaking and sweating profusely.

"You have to get out of...Oh god! SHE'S HERE!" Ben shouted before before his appearance shifted to that of a strawberry blonde haired woman in a red dress, who Luna immediately recognized as Glory herself.

"Oh god!" Luna exclaimed as she realized how deep in trouble she could be. She would be able to take Glory but she wasn't sure how long she could last if she had to fight by herself.

"Sorry sweet pea. He's not here to help you," Glory said smiling sinisterly.

"So this is why you're not at full power. You've been bonded to this guy," Luna surmised.

"Yeah. It's really beneath me, that I was kicked out of my kingdom and forced into this body," Glory said sneering at the memory.

"First Heaven, now Hell? You must've been a real bitch if that happened," Luna sneered, letting go of her fear.

"Oh sweetie. You haven't seen the definition of bitch yet. Yeah, I may have been thrown out through the pearly gates. But in Hell, I was top girl in my domain. But then those damned allies overthrew me. And shot me out here. Now I know how Illyria feels," Glory sneered, thinking back on the memory.

"Your domain?" Luna asked.

"Oh you think Hell is just one place? Hahahahahaha! Oh man, that's rich! Hell isn't just one place. There's a lot of different hell dimensions, not just the one. The one I was thrown out of was where I ruled. I swear, I would've killed Samael and Tiamat if they hadn't surprised me," Glory finished.

"So why would you come here now? You would've been here already unless there was another reason," Luna surmised.

"Believe me, I wouldn't have even come here if I had no reason to. But since you're so interested and so brave, I'll tell you. I'm looking for something. It's called the Key. And it's the thing I need to go back," Glory said.

"The Key," Luna said herself as she thought about what the mental patients said. She realized that the mental parents looked at her as they uttered this phrase over and over. She was wondering why they said this about her. Putting two and two together, she realized she must've had something to do with whatever this Key was.

"What exactly is it? This Key?" Luna asked out of curiosity.

"It's energy. Pure energy. It was beautiful. And the last time I saw it was about eighteen years ago when I was banished to this stupid realm. The Key can bring down the barriers and send me back home to hell where I can get payback on Samael and Tiamat," Glory said.

Luna paled at this information as she thought about the entity's words. She had told Xander that she felt as if Hell itself was knocking on the very doors of their world. He himself said that he felt the energies of the mystical convergence as had the others. But she felt it much more intensely. And then it all came together. Luna herself was the key.

"Y-you said that unleashing the Key can bring down the barriers separating Earth and Hell. Wouldn't that mean everything on Earth be pulled into your home?" Luna asked as she recalled Glory's explanation.

"Huh? Hadn't thought of that. Oh well, not my problem. Now, maybe you can help me figure out where it is," Glory said in a sickeningly sweet voice, as her hand reached out to the younger girl's shoulder. Luna stiffly brushed Glory's hand away.

"You must be insane if you think I'm going to do that. If you want to know where the key is, you'll have to beat it out of me," Luna said powering up energy into her body. Glory frowned deeply at the answer.

"It's your funeral girly," the so-called goddess shot back.

"I may not be as strong as Xander, but maybe I can kick your ass all the same," Luna said as she threw a punch, connecting with Glory's jaw and sending her flying into a wall and breaking it.

Glory got back on her feet and lunged at the younger woman, grabbing her by the shoulders and ramming her into the opposite wall. She cocked one fist back and shot a punch at Luna's stomach, repeating the action three more times before Luna kicked out. Glory lost her grip and Luna launched a straight kicked into the entity's gut and then an uppercut to her jaw. Glory caught the next fist Luna had sent but could feel her strength waning. Glory let go of Luna's fist and clutched her head as she could feel her sanity leaving her mind as her bond with Ben still left her weakened. Luna chose that moment to retreat.

Luna ran through the halls as fast as her legs could take her as she felt the fallen entity chase after her. Luna looked back to see Glory hot on her trail. As she looked forward, she could see Xander and Jenny approaching. Once she was near them, she quickly hid behind Xander who launched a vicious uppercut at the insane devil, sending her through the ceiling. Xander turned and looked at Luna relieved that she seemed relatively fine.

"What the hell happened?" Jenny asked.

"You won't believe what I found out today. Glory isn't here on a search-and-destroy. She's here on a search-and-retrieve. She's after this thing called the Key," Luna began explaining.

"What exactly is it?" Xander asked as he had usually known the bad guys to want to destroy whatever they would want to.

"It's an energy that can bring break down the barriers separating us from Hell. If she manages to unleash the energy, we're dead," Luna explained.

"We need to find this thing and protect it," Jenny said.

"Yeah, about tha-" Luna was cut off as Glory fell through the same hole that she made when Xander knocked her out. The crazed look in her eyes had unnerved the three Scoobies as that meant either two things: either she was getting very serious or she was going absolutely insane. Not taking a chance, Xander launched an energy beam at her while Jenny launched a Shadow energy beam, effectively neutralizing the supposed deity but not killing her. The three quickly left the hospital and headed for the gang.

Halliwell Mansion

Xander, Jenny, and Luna had explained to the entire group why Glory had been in Sunnydale and what the Key was. Everyone initially felt some relief that this fight wasn't life-or-death until it was explained that the barriers coming down meant Hell coming to Earth, or vice versa as the case was. Things got even more somber as Luna explained her theory about her being Key after she explained what the mental patients had said and what had happened when she encountered Ben. Faith immediately embraced her younger sister who burst into tears as she had finally let the emotions catch up to her. Everyone swore to protect the young woman in every way they could. With that, the group took to their homes as they didn't want to take any chances.

Early May, 2001

Calendar residence

The techno-pagan sat quietly in her home reading up on the history of her people, Xander had gone over to check on her as he had a vision of Jenny in trouble but wasn't sure what to expect. The last three months on the hellmouth had their occasional oddities, including a female robot looking for her boyfriend who had abandoned her. Xander himself thought it to be pathetic that someone would go so far as to make such a machine because they couldn't interact with a living person. Despite that little distraction, as her power supply had run dry, things were relatively peaceful. Oz and Anya had begun dating two months ago, and Veruca had become a fully integrated member of group. Spike himself had been acting oddly, for him. Occasionally, he would catch the Billy Idol look-alike leering at Buffy when she wasn't looking. Xander figured this was like Buffy and Angel all over again except Buffy was really into Riley. Angel himself had taken a liking to Detective Lockley, who was busy just trying to keep populace under control with everything going on. A knock at the door brought the two out of their thoughts.

"I'll get it," Xander offered, making his way to the door. The moment he got near he sensed a dark yet powerful presence near the door. He looked out the window next to the door. What he saw was a tall woman with short red hair and black feathered wings at the door. Before he could so much as warn Jenny, he was blown off his feet, as the intruder had blasted most of the front wall of the house. Jenny barely covered her face as the debris flew. Before she could react further, the intruder held her down roughly. Jenny struggled to get free but couldn't so much as squirm out of the intruder's grip. She looked at her intruder and realized she was one of the Fallen. '_What the hell would another one be doing here?' _she thought as she looked to the hole in the wall and saw Glory looking angrily.

"You know, I may not be able to swat you like the flies you are. But when a human beats me, then I get pissed off. But rather than just beat it out of both of you, I'll do the next best thing," Glory said with a wicked smile. Before Jenny could utter any further words, Glory plunged her fingers into her temple, which had unleashed a white light. Jenny screamed as she lost her sanity from the fallen digging into her mind.

"JENNY!"Xander shouted as he charged both enemies. The new intruder stood her ground but was unprepared for the raw power that Xander had produced from his punches. She had heard from her master that this young man was strong. But the raw emotion behind the power had made her stumble. She didn't care in the least as she was only there on orders. Whether she lived or died was not her concern at the moment. She chanced a look at her sister and saw that they were finished. The unknown angel, at least to Xander and Jenny, had fled with Glory trailing after her. Xander ignored them and looked to Jenny. She had a far-away look in her eyes and was mumbling something incoherently as she laid in a fetal position on the floor. Xander's eyes had flooded with tears as he realized what Glory had done: Jenny's mind was no longer together. Xander laid a hand on her shoulder, just barely getting a response as she looked at him but barely recognized him.

"You. I should know you. I don't. I should. Or I can't. Who?" Jenny said as if her mind tried to process what she knew but was incapable. Xander shook his head as the tears continued. He picked her up and carried her bridal-style to her room and laid her down. She clutched at his arm.

"Please don't leave me. I...I don't like being alone," Jenny said clearly. Xander's heart broke at the statement as he knew exactly where that statement came from. Luckily Jenny had a phone in her bedroom. Xander had called Faith and told her what happened. Needless to say, the dark-haired slayer felt for Jenny, but more so for her boyfriend. She in turn had called and informed everyone else of what happened. However, Xander had relayed a message to Faith not to come over and that he would bring Jenny by the Halliwell's in the morning. Xander laid next to Jenny, who had curled up to him at his side. He thought back to the very first time that he had laid in bed with techno-pagan, after he gave her his virginity. While the romance between was brief, he was still a great and loyal friend and she had proven to be the same. This was as bad as what would've happened when Angelus had resurface and she was almost killed. Xander vowed that he would become stronger so that he could make the hell-bitch responsible pay, no matter what.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own the series involved in this story.

Author's note: So for anyone keeping up with this, this is the last chapter of this saga. However, the story itself is not done. I'm curious as to the thoughts that all have about where I'm taking this story and why I've changed most of it. My answer is this: my reason for using fanfiction is to explore the aspects of certain characters that I've seen on television shows and movies, or that I've read about in novels. In all honesty, majority of fanfictions only further the canon that has been published or televised, which doesn't really change anything as far as the characters go. I've seen actual plots that not only change the canon plots but also give the characters greater depths, which does a great justice. The buffyverse is one such example as it does great in many aspects but falls short on so many, character development being one. Buffy is the eponymous character and hero, but the show has never been entirely about her. There's also the concept of female empowerment which has only achieved the tearing down of the male characters that are not only 'special' but also have provided great aid. If Whedon really wanted to use female empowerment, then both men and women on the show would be equal in all aspects, but instead, he practically threw Giles and Xander to the sidelines by season 4.

Also, in regards to the mythology, while Whedon is atheist, which I personally have nothing against unless my beliefs are trashed, he has based a good deal of the mythology off of Abrahamic religions, with tidbits of other cultural mythos mixed in, but even then he's never quite explained someone like Glory, who was a demon as powerful as any Old One would be, but then calling a hell goddess never sat right because no god is born in hell. At any rate, for what I'm achieving fallen angels worked best as since the Old Ones came after the Powers, that's really the best way to think of them. As for the redheaded Fallen, that was Tiamat. Fallen in hell basically have an indescribable form outside of physical appearance, I wasn't sure what appearance till give till last chapter, so there.

Also, for anyone wondering why the Knights of Byzantium aren't in this story, I have a theory about why they were relevant in the show. Dawn was created by a certain point, and the knights had used magic to detect when the Key was given human form. However, for my story, well Glory said she lost it eighteen years prior, which is how old Luna is, so you can use your imagination. For this story the knights were irrelevant as they had no real purpose here, and there wasn't much purpose for them in the show. Anyway, exposition is done. Enjoy this final chapter and review.

Calendar Residence

The next day...

The next morning arrived with a somber feel as the rays hit Xander's face. He stirred and opened his eyes to find Jenny still asleep with an oddly peaceful expression. His face took on a sad expression as he thought about what happened the previous night. He had let his guard down and someone he loves had fallen victim to a damned demon. '_Just like when Jesse died_', Xander thought bitterly. He felt that he should've been stronger despite the fact that two fallen angels had been the ones to attack them. He could tell that the redheaded angel had been significantly weakened but still held great power. He could feel the anger boiling inside of him as he thought about everything he could've done to protect someone he loves. He stood up and looked out the window as he began to feel power coursing through them. He felt the energies that Luna described to him began to ebb and push. He charged his own power and it coursed through his body as if responding to Hell itself as his power had pushed back.

"I'll get you back Jenny. I swear on my soul," Xander declared.

Halliwell Mansion

Jenny sat with the sisters on their couch in the main living area looking around with curiosity and a somewhat childlike manner. The four sisters were close to her, using a spell to try and examine her mind to determine what exactly was wrong. Paige, for her part in the family, had been given a mind-reading ability thanks in part to Ariel, who had awakened the power after Xander and Prue found her. This, in conjunction with the spell, allowed them to sift through everything in the techno-pagan's mind. Paige tried fighting a blush as somewhere in the scattered mind were memories of the when she and Xander made love; something she didn't have in mind of finding. The youngest sister's eyes brightened as she finally saw the problem.

"I think I've got it," Paige said as everyone looked on.

"What is it?" Xander said as he moved closer to his friend.

"Whatever Glory had taken from Jenny's head was vital to her mind. That energy seemed to be the thing that held her mental faculties together. And without it..." Paige trailed off as she wasn't sure she wanted to finish the news.

"She's just like the mental patients at the hospital. That's what Glory did to every one of them. That also explains why more bodies haven't turned up since she got here," Xander contemplated as he thought about Luna's words.

"So this hell-bitch loses strength when she goes crazy, which happens over time?" Buffy asked as she got the details but needed to be sure.

"It seems so Buffy. The problem is knowing just how long it could take for it to happen," Luna explained.

"Yeah. Even if me, Xander, or Luna could go toe-to-toe with her, we don't know how long we could last," Jesse added.

"There has to be a way we can get to her that can weaken her and maybe get back the stolen psyches of every person she stole it from," Faith surmised. She looked to Xander who sat with Jenny, holding her hand. Her heart broke seeing him in the state he was. She thought back to the very first night they met, after he and the Scoobies before her had witnessed her abilities as a slayer. He told her about how he felt knowing he couldn't have saved Jesse the first time his old friend had died. The current situation had been just as bad as the Jenny she had come to know had been lost. The woman she had become good friends with seemed to a mere shadow of herself. Faith began thinking about a way they could strike Glory, while killing two birds with one stone. The only real x-factor was whether or not that fallen angel who accompanied Glory would show up.

"There might be a spell we can utilize that can unleash those energies that Glory stole. It's similar to how a memory spell would work except it gives back rather than takes," Tara said as she sat next to her Graham, holding his hand.

"Would a spell like that be able to restore the psyches of everyone?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, with enough of us surrounding her, we'd be able to pull it off. One person alone would run the risk of getting beaten half to death if Glory gets a hold of them," Amy added in.

"So what kind of strategy would work for this situation? We gotta expect she's got demons working for her. And if what Luna and Xander said is true, then it sounds like her plan is going down today," Forrest said.

"Then that means we can expect whoever was helping Glory to be there helping her. If Whistler or Ariel were here, we'd stand a better chance," Diana said.

"Won't have to worry about that. I've got you covered," came Whistler's voice as she appeared in a flash of light.

"Where have you been?" Xander asked as he looked up to his mentor.

"I've been busy trying to take care of some...things. But I'll have to tell you about them later. I was informed about the situation with Glory. The one you say helping her was Tiamat. He's clearly not messing around with this if he sent her along," Whistler explained to his charge.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked as she got a good look at the man who led her here. She could sense very well that he wasn't what he had heard he claimed himself to be. She could tell that he was much more powerful than he seemed and had an idea what he would be but chose not to comment on that.

"In hell, there are numerous dimensions that exist. Some dimensions are like alternate earths while others are in hell itself. Many of the half-breed demons, or cambions if you will, exist in demon dimensions that have been connected to Earth for billions of year but have been desolate. Every Old One resides in Hell, with different leaders. However, the top three are Samael, Nocalla, and their master, the one formerly known as the Source. There's been a major shift ruling powers with the First no longer in ruling power. Glory was one of the rulers of her domain in Hell after she fell. Her real name is Saleos. You'd never know her real name because not all of us -er them are named. Samael and Tiamat threw her out of her dimension. Why the Source would have Tiamat helping her now is beyond me," Whistler explained. Xander noticed the slip up and figured his idea on who his mentor was going to be confirmed sooner or later.

"Will you help us fight?" Xander asked. Whistler looked at the young man and knew for sure he'd have to reveal himself sooner or later. He had already revealed the nature of just who and what the Powers were as well as the existence of the Creator. He thought about the fate of the brothers that would come about in the years to come as they would be in much deeper than this group would ever be. He looked Xander in the eye and nodded. Xander smiled genuinely knowing that this would help them greatly.

"So first thing's first: where does this thing go down?" Xander asked.

"I can answer that. Normally, the center of this town, the high school's library, is the focal point where the portal would open up. This time, Saleos is performing this ritual in the warehouse district. She's gathering all of the people whose psyches she robbed to construct a tower. When Luna's blood spills, the power of the Key will activate and the barriers come down. She needs to be protected from Tiamat. That's where I come in," Whistler explained.

"Just how powerful are you?" Kendra asked sitting next to Forrest, with his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"It's better that I should you. Close your eyes," Whistler said. Everyone shielded their eyes as Whistler enshrouded himself in a blinding light until it faded. Everyone looked at where he stood and looked in awe at who stood before them now. A man with blue robes, light skin, silver slicked-back hair, large silvery-white wings, and crystalline blue eyes stood before them. Jesse stepped forward toward the entity before them.

"It's nice to see you in this form, Sachiel," Jesse added, making everyone's mouths drop.

"Believe, I prefer this form than having to imitate that poor boy," Sachiel said as he thought of the one who he had relieved of duty from the Powers.

"Wait a sec, what do you mean imitate?" Angel asked.

"The Whistler you know isn't some demon. He's not even a full demon. His parents were a humanoid Old One and one of the Powers agents on earth. He's more of a nephilim than anything else, all things considered. Anyway, the Powers had contracted him to many duties throughout history, including Arthur pulling the sword from the stone. However, in truth, he's been weary of the Powers using him the way they have. Certain events in history were bound to happen. But in this day and age, it's important to allow mankind to make their own choices. The Powers have forgotten that. I had to step in to keep him from trying to supposedly evolve this world, which means over two billion people dying in the future. The Powers were meant to be righteous warrior angels of the Creator. But since they came to earth and mated with human women, they've become corrupt in their duties. They were going to use Whistler as another Antichrist so that they would remain in power. But I've stopped them," Sachiel explained.

"Is there anything they don't have their hands on?" Xander asked heatedly.

"Yes. You and Luna. When Father let me peer into the other universe, I saw what had happened and that there were many lines of fate drawn out for many of you. Most of you shouldn't be here but that is the gift of free will, that you are allowed to make your choices. Amazingly I saw many of those same lines drawn to you Xander. It seems the Powers never quite had a plan for you but kept you around. You would be one to keep everyone who should be here alive until such a time when those lines are cut. However, should anything have ever happened to you, well...you'd all be screwed," Sachiel added further. Everyone looked at the angel as if him using such vernacular was odd.

"Well, that explains it all doesn't it old friend?" came Gabriel's voice as he appeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Would you have explained it any other way?" Sachiel shot back jokingly. Gabriel smiled at the humor they threw back at each other. Everyone figured Sachiel had recruited Gabriel and chose not to ask,

"So how do we do this?" Riley asked.

"Gabriel will stay here and look after Luna. The rest of us will have to split into groups so we can catch these two off guard. Here's what we'll do," Xander said as everyone came together.

Exterior Abandoned Warehouse

Jenny walked into the open area where a metal tower was precariously built. She looked around muttering to herself as she looked around and saw the others like her constructing the tower with what appeared to be gray-skinned humanoids watching on. She felt a strange pull in her mind as if she was mentally battling between two impulses, one drawing her to run, and the other compelling her to stay. She spotted Glory and Tiamat surveying the area like hawks and she was filled with fear. She approached the tower with trepidation and stopped as she felt something that flowed through her. Glory made her way down next to Jenny and looked at her and sneered.

"Oh great. This is just unbelievably common. I should've known you'd be here. So where are your little friends?" Glory/Saleos sarcastically asked the techno-pagan. She was unprepared for the punch that sent her flying away from Jenny. As the fallen angel looked up, she saw herself surrounded by seven women and one man who were holding hands, chanting what sounded like a spell.

"We're right here, bitch," Xander responded as the magic users had raised their hands as a silvery white energy flowed around them and out from their hands. Glory had screamed as she felt the energies she absorbed leave her and flow back into her victims. The mental patients, and Jenny, all shook their heads and looked around seeing the demons fall into disarray. Jenny, however, was quicker in her reaction as she felt anger at the memories flowing through her mind. Glory had practically mind-raped her out of revenge and she saw the glimpses of Xander's face having a pained expression. Jenny looked at where the other spell-casters had surrounded the supposed deity and looked up as she saw Tiamat flying down to join the action. Almost as if on reflex, Jenny formed a whip of Shadow energy from her hand and struck the fallen angel. Everyone looked to see what she had done and were amazed. Jenny looked to everyone and smiled at their faces.

"Good to be back. So are kicking ass or what?" Jenny said as she swung the whip at one of the humanoids that threatened to attack her from behind. The rest of the Scoobies had joined the fray as the spell-casters disbanded to help get the people out as fast of they could. Xander and Jesse stood face-to-face with Glory and Tiamat. Unfortunately, Tiamat flew off on her own before anything else could happen leaving Glory to shout obscenities at her former comrade. As she turned back around, she saw a punch from Jesse come for her which she failed to dodge. Glory fell to the ground in heap. She looked into Jesse's eyes and let out an ear-splitting scream as she launched herself at the young men only to be stopped by a barrier. Xander and Jesse saw the magic users chanting, creating a powerful barrier which Glory had raged inside of.

"Is it me or is this too easy?" Jesse asked.

"You're right. But we know where Tiamat went. She won't be getting back here soon," Xander said hoping everything worked out just fine.

Crawford Mansion

Luna paced in front of the fireplace in the living area. It had already been over half an hour sense the group had left and she wasn't sure she could take much more. Before she could think further, the sound of wings flapping caught her attention. The doors to the living area were blown open as Tiamat stepped through smiling smugly. Luna kept a stoic expression as she looked upon the age-old devil.

"Nice attempt at the bravado," she said walking to the young woman.

"I'm not faking," Luna said. Before Tiamat could respond, she was blasted with white light from behind Luna. Sachiel stepped out from hiding and zipped over to Tiamat.

"Well, it's been a long time brother," Tiamat said, sultrily.

"Not long enough," Sachiel said as a sword manifested in his right hand. Tiamat did the same and launched herself at the archangel. Tiamat attacked with everything she had, but her superior barely put forth any effort as he was gifted with much more power than his younger sibling. Luna had watched from behind a pillar as a fight between two angels would likely lead to her getting into more trouble. She had heard angels were fierce warriors but seeing it firsthand was phenomenal. She didn't think much longer on it as she sensed another dark presence enter and surround her. She barely let out a yelp before she saw blackness and was gone. Sachiel looked behind him and saw that the girl was no longer there and cursed himself for not having done more. He turned back to his sister, who was charging him. With speed that defied all the known human laws of physics, Sachiel stabbed his sister where a heart would be if she were human. Tiamat let out a scream as energy violently poured out before she exploded and sparks of light shimmered throughout the mansion. Having no time to think on much else, Sachiel disappeared from the mansion, cursing the fact that another unknown factor had interfered. Unfortunately, he was being called home, unknowing of the knowledge he would come into in the future.

Abandoned warehouse/dimensional hub

The Scoobies had regrouped as the plan seemed to be working better than they hoped. However, Xander was still on edge as he had an odd feeling something was off. The results were too easy to achieve and not even the battle at their high school graduation went this smoothly, as plenty were at least injured. His train of thought was cut short as he sensed a third dark power that didn't register before. The others with attuned senses felt the same thing as they all looked skyward to see Luna at the top of the tower with another fallen angel facing her, with a silver blade, as if the stab her. Not wasting any time, Xander immediately began climbing the tower as fast as his power allowed him.

Luna backed away to the edge of the platform. She was feeling fear for the second time in her life. The emotion was fairly foreign to her as she had felt fear briefly before coming into the use of her powers. She wasn't sure she could take an angel that was able to take her without so much as gaining Sachiel's attention. She was unaware that the angel before her was just as powerful. She barely flinched as she felt the blade pierce her abdomen but not hitting any organs. She felt pain as she couldn't grasp the fact that that she was being injured in such a way. She looked down to see droplets of blood drip from the blade and through the grated platform and down towards the surface. However, in mid-air, the blood had hit what seemed like an invisible barrier and began crackling with energy, which spread out further.

Xander was nearing the highest platform of the tower when he saw the barrier being dissolved all around him. He started to see dark red skies cover the town and what appeared to be some Old Ones in the horizon. Xander pushed his energy past his normal limits as he continued scaling the structure with a speed and dexterity that would make King Kong envious of this feat. He had finally gotten to the highest platform where he saw the fallen angel standing before Luna. Xander summoned the sword that Sachiel had given him while the angel summoned his own.

"Who are you?" Xander questioned.

"Vassago. You won't last much longer against me boy. Sachiel may have trained you, but you're still human," the fallen had replied. Xander had lunged with a stabbing motion, which Vassago had readily parried. Xander tried for a horizontal swing followed by a downward strike. Vassago had guarded against both and countered with a powerful swing which Xander deflected but the reverberation had shook his entire body. He could tell that this angel was just about as powerful as Sachiel. However, he had too much to lose. Xander charged his entire body with his power, giving him a crackling blue-green aura. He charged the fallen angel again, this time with each swing matching each other. However, Xander realized that he didn't have much time as the portal was growing by the minute. Forming a plan in his mind, Xander charged Vassago once more with their blades meeting once more. However, Xander grabbed the angel's wrist and spun them around so that his back was to Luna. Xander kicked the angel away and lunged his sword at him, piercing his abdomen. Vassago looked up and grinned evilly before he burst in an explosion of energy that shimmered before fading. Xander heard the flapping of wings before Ariel stood before him.

"This portal needs to be closed now. But any blood Luna would willingly lose won't be enough," Ariel said.

"So what do we do?" Luna said approaching the two, trying to heal the stomach wound.

"Someone with enough power could charge their bodies and jump into the vortex while I use my powers to seal it. The resulting clash will create a means by which I can reseal the barriers," Ariel explained.

"I'll do it. Glory used me to pen it. I should be the one to- agh!" Luna said before she was knocked unconscious by Xander. Before she fell, Xander caught her in his arms.

"I'm not letting her do that. She's only just started to realize her potential. Can you get her down there?" Xander asked the female angel. Ariel nodded and took Luna out of his arms and flew her down to the surface.

Faith looked up to see Ariel carrying her sister in her arms as she flew down to meet them. Faith took her sister and held her looking at the angel.

"What's going on?" Faith asked.

"Xander and I are going to close the portal. But we have to leave for a while. I can promise you we'll be back. It'll be some time but we will return," Ariel said before flying back up to the top with Xander. The young man in question had charged his body with all of the power he had gained since he acquired it.

"A word of warning: you may not like where we're going to end up," Ariel said.

"If Angel can survive Hell, who says I can't?" Xander says determinedly.

"You won't be going to Hell. But you won't like the destination all the same. Now go!" Ariel shouted. Xander wasted no time as he jumped into the opening vortex of energy. He could already feel himself being torn at by the vortex that was being created. However, he wasn't dying. He remained where he was as he felt the energy surround him, trying to consume him. He felt another type of energy surround him, which was Ariel using her power to reverse the process which prevented Xander from dying. The pain remained as a side effect. As the Scoobies stared on at the sight, they saw Ariel fly towards Xander, as her physical form was surrounded with a heavenly glow. When she got close to Xander, she grabbed onto him and the light grew brighter. Everyone shileded their eyes as the intensity grew to be too much. Suddenly, everything grew dark again. Everyone opened their eyes to find that they were still on Earth but Xander and Ariel were gone.

"They did it," Jenny said somberly. She heard what Ariel said about her and Xander being gone and immediately felt tears come to her eyes. For the second time in her life, she would be without Xander. Only this time, he would be gone for much longer. Faith herself almost broke down as she felt the same way Jenny did.

"Damn you all. I was so close," came Glory's voice, which sounded grave as her power faded. She was stuck in mid-shift as her powers had waned heavily. She now looked to be a cross of Ben and the strawberry-blonde woman she masqueraded as. Faith handed her sister to Jenny who quickly took the girl in her arms. The dark-haired slayer picked up a sword that a servant of the weakened entity had dropped earlier and continued her stride to the enemy. She stopped as she got a good look at the thing that almost ended the world.

"You kidnap my sister, mind rape my friend, and to top it off, you nearly kill us all, even knowing what would happen. And that human you're riding shotgun with is no better. I won't let you do this ever again," Faith said through gritted teeth. She raised the sword with the blade's tip pointed down. She plunged the blade deep into the demon's heart, killing her and her unwilling host. Faith let go of the sword, dropped to her knees and openly wept for everything she could've lost and what she ahd lost, even if it was temporary.

The remaining Scoobies had gathered around the young woman as she let down her emotional barrier in front of everyone she had called friend.

Mid January

Sunnydale, California

Dimension A

Xander and Ariel had fallen through the portal carrying them through dimensions right back into Sunnydale. Ariel held onto him as she gently glided down to the surface and landed safely. They both looked around and Xander knew something was off about Sunnydale. Some of the shops that should be in business didn't even seem to exist. However, the fact that demons weren't running amok meant that the hellmouth had not opened.

"This is weird," Xander said, mostly to himself.

"I said you wouldn't like where we'd end up. If it helps, we are near the bronze," Ariel said before they heard a loud crash echo in the night. Xander took off in the direction of Sunnydale's only club with Ariel trailing lightly behind him, oddly enough on foot. Xander entered the club from the rear entrance as he felt two distinct and familiar powers inside the building. He snuck in hoping to catch whatever was causing the commotion off guard. He heard and crash and looked near the stage to see two people falling through. The first one to rise was a vampire. Xander jumped into action to save whoever fell through with it, leaping onto the stage. Xander delivered a left and right hook to the vampire, who spun around, his back facing the young man. Xander kicked the back of it's knee making it fall, while Xander grabbed it's head, twisting and then tearing it off the body, making it dust immediately.

Xander looked down at the person he saved only to find Buffy staring up at him in shock. However, taking in her appearance, he noticed that she was a few years younger than when he last saw her. Not only that, but the Bronze had not been remodeled.

"Xander," came the familiar voice of Willow, catching his attention. As he turned to the dancefloor, he immediately noticed that there was another him standing next to Jenny. With Jesse standing with them. Giles, Amy and Jonathan also stood in the center of the floor gaping shock at what they were seeing. Xander saw the presents on the table, including a familiar wooden box and his eyes grew wide in horror. While certain details of events were clearly different than he remembered, he knew this night as the most memorable night of his life: the night of Buffy's seventeenth. The night that the nightmare known as Angelus would be unleashed. One thought came to mind for Xander.

"Oooh shit."

Author's end note: I normally don't post these at the end of chapters in my stories but I felt it necessary. The reason that Ariel told Xander she needed someone with enough power was because it took psychic energy to bring the barriers down and would take psychic energy to reverse and mend. It's psychic energy that Xander and Luna are using with their abilities in this story. Ariel being an archangel would have the power capable of being able to reverse or mend this kind of stuff. Also, if you feel the story is rushed, I apologize but most of season 5's story arc didn't seem as widely used as it should've been. And I've already gone over my rant about Glory's ranking in Hell. And to see what happens to Xander, keep reading my other story, Lords of Shadow: Sunnydale. Once that's finished, then the next saga in Hand of Fate will begin. Until then, read, review, and enjoy.


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